Saving Me
by MadeleineJade
Summary: Why are guys so oblivious? Inquiring minds want to know. Bella and Sabrina have been experiencing unrequited love since Senior year in high school and still throughout college. Things are looking up though. AH Cannon pairs & new characters-don't be scared
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I do not. Okay, give this story a chance. It's got all the cannon pairings plus a new character: Sabrina Kingston, best friends with Bella, Alice and the whole gang. Sabrina was new to Forks right after Bella moved there in their Junior year of high school. Sabrina is a strong female character, sort of what I wanted Bella to be like but she wasn't. This takes place at the end of Junior year in college. All human. Some drama, but if you're looking for tons of drama, this is not the story for you. Mostly humor and fluff. Different PoVs but mostly Sabrina, Bella and Edward. Enjoy and review.**

Chapter 1

"Stupid servers….oh please, oh please, oh please…"

I was quietly but bitterly cursing technology and glowering at my laptop when I heard someone say my name.

"Hi, Sabrina. What's up?" It was Alice.

I looked up to see Alice bouncing towards me holding her coffee cup with her brother Edward in tow. Edward, as usual, looked unbelievably gorgeous but unbelievably tortured. They came and sat down with me at our usual table at the coffee/taco house Café O le.

"My blood pressure," I reply casually.

"Uh-Oh. What's the matter?" Alice asked. I glanced up at them both. They both actually looked a bit concerned.

"Ugh! Just pray for me, okay? My online professional teaching portfolio has disappeared from the website. Well, actually, the entire website isn't coming up. Yeah, it's only two years of my life at stake here. No biggie. I'm actually concentrating on not hyperventilating." Without realizing it, I started fanning myself with my hands as I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead. "I hope to god the server went down. Wow, there's something you don't say everyday."

Edward actually chuckled. I was a little surprised. He usually doesn't laugh at my jokes. He usually just rolls his eyes.

Alice texted Jasper, her boyfriend, who is a computer genius, to see if he knew what was up with the server. Jasper knows the guys in the computer lab so he contacted them before answering back. "Yes, you're right. It's just the server. They should have it back up by noon."

"Good." I closed my computer with a snap and shook my head. "I don't want to think about this anymore. Distract me please."

"Can I get you a refill?" Edward asked eying my empty cup.

I spoke quickly. "No, thanks. I think my heart's going to explode if I have any more caffeine today. Don't be scared, but I've already had three cups plus a triple espresso this morning." They both gave a sharp intake of breath and pulled their heads back infinitesimally. They know my limit is two cups. "No, I'm cool. I'm good." I was drumming my fingers on the table and nodding at them reassuringly. "How are you guys? Geez, Edward, cheer up would you?" He was still looking all broody, again.

He and Tanya were probably fighting again. I swear those two need to break up permanently, but they keep hanging on to whatever remnants of this alleged relationship they had left. They've been dating since our senior year in high school.

When I moved to Forks I had assumed that Edward and Bella were an item. You would have thought that too by looking at how the two interacted. They were really cute together. I thought they'd finally get together at prom, but, alas, much to Bella's and the rest of our chagrin, Edward was oblivious to her in that way.

Bella was ready to confess her feelings to Edward and ask him to prom, but then he had met Tanya at a party that Emmett had dragged him to. Emmett was in college at the time. Tanya was a perspective student and whomever she was staying with took her to that party. The rest is history. They were gaga for each other. Edward was the only one gaga over Tanya. The rest of us tolerated her, but she was never really a part of our inner sanctum of friendship.

Tanya's really self-centered and mocks the rest of us no matter what we are doing. Don't get me wrong. I can take teasing with the best of them. I can tease right back. _She_ couldn't take a joke though. There's just something different about when your good friend is making fun of you and when someone who doesn't know you like that is making fun of you. It's a subtle difference. So, if she gave me crap, I'd give it right back to her but then she'd get her feelings hurt. My philosophy is, don't dish it if you can't take it, but Edward always defended her.

Anyway, none of us have liked Tanya. Especially since she's broken up with Edward more times than I care to count or even think about. Like I said, she's self-centered. Anytime anyone of the opposite sex pays attention to her she breaks it off with Edward. Inevitably, she'd lose interest in each new guy and ask Edward to take her back, which, inevitably, he does every time. It's infuriating. Especially since Bella's been crushing on him since I moved to Forks, probably even when she moved to Forks herself.

Bella was the new kid up until I moved there with a couple months left of our junior year. We had a few of the same classes and we bonded right away. Alice, Bella, and I have been best friends since then. Edward and Alice are both the same age. They were adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen separately but grew up together, and so Edward has become a very close friend to Bella and me as well. I see Edward as a brother, but Bella is head over heels in love with him. He's such an idiot. I don't' know how he doesn't see it. For whatever reason he only sees Tanya through his rose colored glasses. Poor Bella has to pretend to only be friends with Edward even though she wants so much more. We try to not hang out with Edward when Tanya is around so Bella doesn't have to feel the agony of seeing those two together.

I know how Bella feels seeing the man of her dreams with another woman. It's like being punched in the stomach each time you see them together. It makes you question your desirability level. Will he ever see you in a romantic way? Why is he with her? I'm talking about Wes. He's the man I've been crushing on since senior year in high school. He went to a different high school than us. I met him during a tennis tournament in Portland. We had actually played mixed doubles together and won a couple junior tournaments. He noticed me playing singles and asked if I wanted to team up with him for a mixed doubles tournament. I really liked him but didn't know he had a steady girlfriend at the time. He suffers from oblivious boy syndrome as well. We became fast friends, but that was the extent of it since he had a girlfriend. It wasn't as if he had led me on or anything. We just hit it off and had good chemistry as doubles partners. We practiced together a lot and talked strategy. His girlfriend, Sasha, came to watch us play in our second tournament. After we won the championship match she had congratulated him with quite a public display of affection, which made me really uncomfortable. I got a smile from her and a plutonic high five and a fist pound from Wes. Yea, friendship right? Unrequited love's a bitch.

All my friends knew I was falling for him too. That's what really made it difficult to be around him. I knew their hearts broke for me when they saw Sasha with him. Like Bella, I was ready to confess to Wes just as she was ready to confess to Edward. Luck and timing were never on our side. But we ended up going to prom together, Bella and I. Thank goodness Wes went to a different school so I didn't have to see him and Sasha together, but Bella had to endure the pain of seeing Edward with Tanya at our prom, at post prom, every summer and even at university now every once in a while though

Tanya didn't care to hang out with us. Bella's pain is my pain though. I can't count how many nights we cried on each other's shoulder or how many pints of ice cream we have consumed because of our heartache.

I see Wes every once in a while. He does go to school with us, but he runs with a different crowd. He does play tennis here for UW-Seattle and I've watched a couple of his matches, but Sasha is usually there and I really can't bear to be around the two of them. Though Sasha has always been superficially nice to me, I know she doesn't really want me hanging around Wes. How do I know? She's actually told me, "Stop hanging around my boyfriend." Well, she texted me. She didn't have the guts to tell me to my face though I've done nothing to her.

She's also told Wes to not hang out with me. He told me that himself. Though Wes and I have never been anything more than friends, she's threatened by me. He said so. He doesn't know why she feels threatened by me though. It's just something he's surmised. Honestly, I would never disrespect anyone's relationship by trying to break them up so I don't get her attitude. Despite the fact that Sasha doesn't want Wes hanging out with me, he does call me to talk sometimes. Usually it's to see how I'm doing and to complain to me about problems he and Sasha are having. They seem to have a lot of problems too, but again, I can't o anything about it. If the girl hits on other guys like she hit on Edward then Wes should be wising up soon right? Whatever. Anyway, back to the present.

Alice eyed me warily. "I'm good too. Not quite as good as you apparently." She giggled. "How long have you been up? Have you had breakfast yet?

"I've been up forever working on a paper and now my portfolio. I would love some breakfast. I'm meeting Bella first though. I came here way early to work on my portfolio. She had to turn in a paper first thing then she's coming here, though it's taking her a while." Alice and I grinned at each other and then looked over at Edward. He remained as stoic as always giving nothing away. We've been trying to get those two together since…well, for along time now. If it weren't for Tanya I'm sure they'd be together. Anyway, Bella has been my roommate for the past three years.

I was really lucky to have become friends with them so quickly when I moved to Forks. Bella was the first friend I made there. She and Alice were best friends and I met everyone else through them. Alice and Edward have an older brother, Emmett. Emmett is engaged to Rosalie, and Jasper is Rosalie's twin brother. Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper are all done with undergrad. Emmett just opened his own sporting goods store. He had double majored in exercise physiology and business. Rosalie is a civil engineer for the city of Seattle. She has quite the mechanical mind. Jasper is working on his PhD in psychology. I think he wants to teach at the college level. I mean why else would he put himself through the torture of all the schooling? A bachelor's degree and even a master's degree are one thing, but doctorates take forever! I couldn't do it so kudos to Jasper, I guess.

"Sit down and wait with me guys," I said to Alice and Edward.

"Okay," Alice said. "But I have class in half an hour so I can't eat with you and Bella. But let's meet up for lunch?

"Sounds good," I replied. I looked at Edward, "Are you staying or going, McMoody?"

He scowled at me. "I'm not moody. I can stay a while. I don't have class until ten." I checked the time. It was almost eight.

"Cool. Do you want breakfast with me and Bells?"

"Sure."

He sat down to wait with me after he got a coffee for himself. Alice and I were talking about plans for the weekend. She and Jasper were going to dinner and a movie tomorrow night. She was nearly bouncing off the booth seat with excitement. I couldn't help but laugh. She was so cute. It's nice to see how excited she still is to spend time with Jasper. They've been together for almost four years now. Many marriages don't even last that long. As depressed as Bella and I were about our own social lives, or lack thereof, we were genuinely happy for Alice. She was so blessed to have found her soul mate already. At least one of the three of us was lucky in love.

"What do you have planned this weekend, Sabrina?" Alice asked.

"Well, Bella and I were going to visit the art museum sometime if you want to join us, but other than that I'll be laying low as per usual. I'm planning on running ten miles in the morning. Care to join me?" Alice looked at me as if I had a third eye. I laughed. "Unless of course Prince Charming comes riding in on his white horse and whisks me off into the sunset." We all laughed. "What? It could totally happen!" I said sarcastically. I'm running to train for the Seattle Marathon coming up in a month and a half right on my twenty-first birthday. I was pretty excited for it actually. I've always wanted to complete a marathon.

"Too bad Prince Charming is an idiot though," Alice said.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Edward, why are boys so dumb?" I had an edge of agitation to my voice and my eyes narrowed.

"What?" He was confused. "What are you talking about? Wes?"

"I'm talking about not only him but guys in general. What do you have to say to defend your entire gender? Why are you with mean brainless girls when there are beautiful women of substance right in front of you? Are you guys blinded by big boobs and long legs? I don't get it. Help me understand." Maybe it was the caffeine but my feistiness was starting to scare even me. Edward looked frightened as well. "Well?" I pressed.

"Ummm," He stammered.

"Wow, well, I have class. See you at lunch Sabrina! Good luck, Edward! Let me know if you make any breakthroughs regarding the inner workings of male mind." She laughed and patted her brother on his back and bounced out of the coffee shop.

I was still staring at him waiting for an explanation.

"Sabrina, I think you've had a little too much caffeine this morning. You're feistier than usual. Did you talk to Wes or something?" He sounded concerned.

That was beside the point. Wes did call me the other night, but it was to vent about Sasha. I don't know why he calls me up randomly to complain about his girl troubles. The last thing I want to hear about is how much he loves her but that she makes it so difficult, blah, blah, blah. Oh, and the best part is when he thanks me for listening to him. "You're such a good friend, Sabrina. I'm glad I can call you up anytime and talk." Why doesn't he just stab me in my heart physically and get it all over with. It would feel better than hearing him say that.

Just then Bella came in right before I could answer. She looked a little confused and flustered. Maybe she sensed our argument.

"Hey, Bells, did you turn in your paper on time?" I asked her. "Why do you have that weird look on your face?

"Hi, guys. Yes, I turned it in. Ready for breakfast? Coming with us, Edward? Are you two fighting?" She looked at him. I can tell she looked at him longingly, but of course Edward has no clue.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Let's go." He answered. "And no, we're not fighting.

"We're having a colorful discussion," I clarified.

We left the coffee shop to make our way to the student union cafeteria. The walk only took five minutes. I recounted to Bella my morning events thus far up to just now when I was prosecuting Edward about the male species.

"How much coffee did you have, Sabrina?" She asked warily.

"Caffeine has nothing to do with this, Bella. I just want Edward to answer the question. Why are boys so dumb? Inquiring minds want to know, Edward."

"Bella, help me out here," Edward begged her.

She laughed. "I think you need to answer the question, Edward. Please enlighten us."

We were sitting at a table with our bagels and juices. Edward started to tear his bagel apart nervously stalling.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I guess Wes just doesn't realize how he feels about you because you haven't told him how you feel."

"Of course he won't know how I feel. Why the hell would I tell him when he is clearly in a relationship? A stupid relationship, but it's a relationship nonetheless. What I want to know is why is he with _her?_ I mean she blatantly told him to not hang out with me. How supportive is that? She begrudges him outside friendships? That sucks. Plus, he's always telling me how difficult she is. Would you still be with Tanya if she were to tell you to not hang out with me and Bella?" I demanded.

He was taking too long to answer. I could tell Bella was holding her breath waiting for his reply. It definitely wasn't what I expected.

"Actually," Edward started to answer. "She's already told me that." He looked down at what used to be his bagel. It was now a pile of crumbs.

"What?" Bella and I said in unison trying to keep our voices down.

"When did she say that?" I demanded.

"And what did you say in response?" Bella wanted to know.

We were both angry with both Edward and Tanya. At least I was.

"Last night. She was mad again about how much time I spent with you guys the other day at your apartment."

"What are you talking about? We were eating pizza and watching Seinfeld. What you can't watch a sitcom with us anymore?" We always watched Seinfeld and had pizza after classes on Wednesdays. The only difference was that Alice was over at Jasper's and not with us that last time.

"Well, I can if Alice is there too she said," Edward responded lamely.

Bella and I looked at each other, and we each made a face. I knew Bella wasn't going to say anything even though she was as livid as I was. I shook my head in disbelief. "And you told her you'll do as you please, right, Edward?" I asked with a definite edge to my voice.

"Well, I told her that we've been friends for a long time and it wouldn't be fair of her to make such a demand. I asked if she trusted me and…" he trailed off.

"And what?" I asked urging him to finish.

"She says she trusts _me_ but not you two." He bit his lip and looked up at us to gage our reactions.

Bella's jaw dropped. She just looked hurt and confused. I, on the other hand, was pissed. I didn't want to even dignify Tanya's accusations with a response. I wanted to cut to the chase though. "What's the bottom line here, Edward?"

"Well, I thought we'd compromise. I'll spend more time with her and I can still hang out with you guys when Alice or the others are around."

"Oh, gee, Edward. Thanks for throwing us a bone. So what would she think of you sitting in the cafeteria with us now?" I asked not even trying to hide my irritation.

"Well, since this is a public place I think it's okay," he answered thoughtfully.

Unbelievable! I can't believe he just said that. Just then Bella stood up and started moving away from the table.

"Well, Sabrina, I don't want to get Edward in trouble with his girlfriend by hanging out with us so why don't we just go?" Bella definitely didn't hide the hurt in her voice. I even saw tears brimming in her eyes right before she turned away from us. I also was on the verge of tears only mine were tears of hurt and anger while Bella was genuinely heart broken.

I was about to follow my friend out. But before I did, I turned to look Edward in the eye. He looked upset and guilty and my anger wavered slightly. Only slightly though. I merely shook my head in disbelief again. "I guess we'll see you around. Maybe." I added the last part quietly as I trailed behind Bella.

"Wait. You guys don't have to go. We can still hang out here?" Edward pleaded. Bella kept going, but I stopped.

I turned around and smiled ruefully at him still shaking my head ruefully. "No we can't, Edward." I said as quietly as Bella did. And I left.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I do not own Twilight.**

Chapter 2 Sabrina PoV

It's been weeks since we've seen Edward. After that incident we went straight back to our apartment after classes. I had texted Alice to come over instead of meeting in the caf for lunch. We told her about the lively conversation we had with Edward. Bella was really sad and was crying. I was just angry and frustrated. I can't believe he wouldn't stand up to Tanya on our behalf. It spoke volumes about our friendship.

Alice was just as incredulous as we were. She also felt badly because she thought it was her fault. If only she and Jasper were hanging out with all of us that evening this wouldn't have happened. And she kept apologizing for her brother's behavior.

"Alice, this is in no way your fault," I reassured her. "You and Jasper need and deserve quality time together. This was just an easy excuse for Tanya to keep Edward from hanging out with us. She's insecure about herself and feels threatened by Bella. She just found an easy way to manipulate Edward. And Edward," I said through clenched teeth. I couldn't even finish my sentence I was so mad. "I feel like we're in an episode of Friends when Emily told Ross to keep away from Rachel? Ugh! The nerve!"

So Bella and I didn't want to put Alice in a more uncomfortable place than she was already. We avoided the coffee shop, the cafeteria and anywhere we usually saw Edward as much as possible. We just went about our business. Going to classes, the library and just laying low. It was weird when Wednesdays rolled around and it was just Alice and Bella and I in our apartment. Sometimes Jasper would join us, but I think he hung out with Edward. Alice tried to tell us how badly Edward felt about this whole thing, but I'd have none of it. I saw him with Tanya walking to class a couple weeks after the incident and he didn't look at all remorseful. He had his arm around her and they were all cuddled up. It was sickening. I was just grateful Bella didn't have to witness that. I don't know if Edward told Tanya about how it all went down though. By all accounts, she seems to think he decided to keep away from us of his own accord, like he finally came to his senses or something. Rubbish!

Luckily, the semester and school year was coming to an end and we all threw ourselves into our schoolwork. Before we knew it, finals were done, and we could relax and go back to being mad at Edward. Actually at that point we weren't so much mad as we were disappointed. We missed hanging out with him. There was no one for me to argue with. I texted him to come over once for pizza, but he never responded so I gave up asking after that. It was about a month ago. At least I still had the marathon to train for. I couldn't believe it was going to be in two days. Bella and Alice and I were cooking a big pasta dinner so I could carbo-load. Jasper was coming over to eat as well. Though Emmett and Rosalie wanted to come, they were busy with work. They'd be at the marathon on Sunday along with my parents to cheer me on though.

I was just finished setting the table when the doorbell rang. I went to let Jasper in since Alice and Bella were in the kitchen still. To my surprise and horror Edward was with Jasper. I smiled at Jasper and let him in. He smiled back guiltily and went straight to the kitchen I assumed to warn Bella. At first I didn't see Edward there. I was about to close the door when Edward stepped in. "Oh, hello, Edward," I said coolly.

Edward was holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hi, Sabrina," he greeted me somewhat timidly. I eyed the flowers he was holding and then looked at him questioningly. "May I come in?"

I opened the door wider to let him in. "Thanks," he said.

"Sure," I replied. I wanted to be civil, I really did, but I couldn't help but comment. "But do you have a signed permission slip to be here? I don't want you to get in trouble. Do we need get a Notary Republic to certify on paper that you're here under direct supervision of Jasper and Alice?"

He sighed. "Sabrina, can't we just be cool with each other? I brought a peace offering." He waved the flowers he was holding. "I want to support you tonight too and on Sunday. I've missed you guys."

"Mmmhmm," I still looked at him warily. He seemed sincere enough, but I was protective of Bella. I took the flowers turning away from him to put them in water. "I'm just looking out for my friend," I said so quietly I didn't even think he'd hear.

His brow furrowed. "What did you say?"

I glanced toward the kitchen to make sure Bella hadn't heard anything. "Nothing," I said.

"No, Sabrina, what did you say?" He asked me quietly. "Whom are you looking out for?"

I rolled my eyes and smirked at him as if the answer were obvious, "Bella?" I said with finality.

"What about Bella? Is she okay?"

I heaved a sigh. "No," I whispered. "Not that she'd admit it to you, but she's heartbroken, you idiot!"

Now he looked confused. I tried to clarify it for him. "Remember our argument before _this argument_?" I gestured between himself and me with _this argument_ referring to our cafeteria argument.

He thought hard for a second. He was still clueless, and that was the point wasn't it? "Remember? I asked why boys are so dumb? You assumed I meant Wes, which I did, but not solely him. I was also referring to you too, moron!"

He was about to respond when Bella, Alice and Jasper came out with the food.

**EPoV**

I was about to push Sabrina for more information when Bella, Alice and Jasper came out of the kitchen with the pasta, salad and bread.

"Hey, Bells, look who decided to grace us with his presence. Alert the media," Sabrina said waving her hands in the air.

Why couldn't she chill with the sarcasm for once? I had to admit, though, I missed her spunk. She could always hold her own in a battle of the wits. I think that's why Tanya never was keen on her. Tanya was never really down for any verbal sparring with Sabrina or Bella or anyone else for that matter. I think they intimidate her. But that's why I liked hanging out with Sabrina and Bella. They weren't afraid to challenge anyone to a _colorful discussion_ as Sabrina so eloquently puts it.

Bella laughed. "Hi, Edward. Long time no see. Is everything cool with Tanya for you to be here?" She asked genuinely interested.

I shrugged. "We broke up," I blurted out and then immediately braced myself for the onslaught.

"Again?" everyone asked in unison as I closed my eyes in anticipation of their all too predictable response. We all looked at each other and laughed. I don't know how many times I've told them that Tanya and I broke up over the past few years.

"No, for real this time. It's been almost a month and we still haven't gotten back together," I assured them.

Sabrina snorted and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Edward. We've _all_ seen and heard this song and dance before. Though four weeks without your codependent friend must be a new record. You guys are probably going to get back together in exactly twenty-seven minutes so let's eat so we can enjoy your company for the little time you have left with us?" Sabrina smirked at me. She seemed so sure, but she's wrong this time.

And then Sabrina looked as if she just realized something. "Hey, if you've been broken up a month, how come you never came over on Wednesday nights especially since we personally invited you?"

I was puzzled. "I never got an invitation. Did you mail it out, Sabrina?" Why would she mail me an invitation?

"No, I texted you, and you never responded so we assumed you were all consumed with Tan…with she-who-shall-not-be-named."

"Hmm, maybe she erased the text," I theorized.

"Figures," Alice, Bella and Sabrina said with disdain.

We all sat down and started digging in. Dinner was delicious. I missed this. Being with all of them. I missed Bella's cooking. I stole a couple of glances at Bella. I kept thinking about what Sabrina said. Was I dumb like the rest of the male species? What was that she was talking about that day we fought? That guys can't see the beautiful women of substance that were in front of them. We were blinded by big boobs and long legs? Yeah, I guess we are, but it only lasts a little while. Well, in my case longer than just a little while.

I thought she was talking about Wes though. She's been pining over him for years. They'd be perfect together, but he was still dating wretched that Sasha girl. Sasha actually hit on me practically right in front of Wes though he didn't have a clue. I'm not good enough friends with Wes to tell him about it, but I did tell Sabrina. Not that there was much she could do about it anyways. She was convinced Wes only saw her as a friend and nothing more, but I can tell Wes really likes Sabrina. Guys can just tell when other guys are digging their girl friends. Sabrina never told Wes how she feels though. She says she doesn't want to disrespect their relationship, but I think deep down she's actually afraid of rejection though she'd never admit it.

I wonder if Sabrina was telling me that Bella felt the same way about a guy. Was Bella pining over someone too? I immediately started to feel jealous at the thought of Bella swooning over some guy.

Wait. Maybe it wasn't just some random guy. I wonder if Bella would swoon over me? Back in high school we were really close. I was going to ask her to prom, but then I met Tanya and I pushed away any feelings I was beginning to have for Bella. Bella's never hinted at wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with me. But then I guess I never really gave her a chance. I've always been on-again-off-again with Tanya. But this time there's no way I'm getting back together with Tanya. She's cheated on me for the last time. She could pout her pretty lips all she wanted. I'm through with her.

"Earth to Edward!" I heard someone say pulling me out of my haze of thought. It was Alice.

"Huh?"

"So what happened this time?"

I just shook my head. "I've just had enough that's all. I'm done getting used by her. Plus, I didn't think it was cool how she demanded I stay away from you guys."

They all looked skeptical. I guess I couldn't blame them. "Really," I said.

Silent skeptical stares.

"No, REALLY!" I reiterated.

"Okay, Edward. We believe you!" Sabrina finally said. "Can we finish eating?"

I looked at Sabrina and then to Bella. Bella blushed a lovely shade of pink and smiled. She actually took my breath away. "Are you okay, Edward?" I couldn't help but gasp a little as I realized Bella was speaking to me. Has she always looked that beautiful when she blushed? She dazzled me for a split second. I couldn't articulate a proper response so I merely nodded. "Good. We've missed you. I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks, Bella. That means a lot. It's good to be back. It's like home here" with you I added in my head. Hey where did that come from? Then I smiled my crooked grin. Bella blushed again.

Sweet fancy Moses, she's gorgeous. Where have I been? How did I not realize it before? It finally clicked. I'm in love with Bella. After all these years, I'm in love with Bella, a beautiful woman of substance who was right there in front of me. Sabrina is a genius. Why hadn't she knocked the sense into me before tonight? I looked over to Sabrina. "And Sabrina?"

"Yeah?" She looked at me questioningly.

"I'm a moron but I'm not as big of a moron as you think I am," I said matter-of-factly.

She looked puzzled at first but then gave me a big knowing smile. "Good, I hoped you weren't. You had me worried for a little while, Bud. I didn't want to actually have to kick your ass, but I would have done it." She nodded as she spoke.

And it was like old times again. We were talking and joking like we used to. Only this time I knew I had to make my move. As always, Sabrina was a step ahead of me.

Sabrina had gone to the freezer to check for some ice cream for dessert. She came back and announced, "We don't have enough for everyone so let's run to the store for some more. Alice, come with me. I want to ride in the Porsche. I haven't been in it in a while."

Alice negated her, "I didn't drive, Jasper dropped me off earlier remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Jasper you want to drive or stay here and clean up?" She's diabolical. That's why I love Sabrina.

"Uh, tough choice, Sabrina. I'll drive. Edward can clean up since he didn't help with any of the preparations."

We all raised an eyebrow at Jasper. "And how, pray tell, did _you_ help with the dinner preparations, Jasper? Didn't you show up here the same time as Edward? At least Edward brought flowers." Bella turned to look at me and smiled. "Thanks for the flowers, Edward." I couldn't help but smile at her for coming to my defense. She smiled back at me with another slight blush. I wanted to pull her into my arms right then and there.

"Well, first, I dropped Alice off _and_ I stayed out of the way while you girls cooked. Granted I wasn't physically here so that part wasn't hard, but I was out of the way nonetheless. _Plus, _I brought a movie to watch," Jasper declared.

"Ohhh!" everyone affirmed as if we had an epiphany and that his explanation justified everything.

Jasper looked proud of himself.

"Fine. Whatever," Sabrina announced. "Jasper will drive me and Alice. Edward you clean. Bells, you relax since you cooked the delicious dinner for all of us vultures. Ready team?"

"Break!" we all yelled.

Alice, Jasper and Sabrina went out the door. I thought Sabrina winked at me as she punched my arm before leaving. She's the best. Now I get to be alone with Bella.

Bella sighed and started to clear the dishes. "What do you think you're doing?" I accused her.

She looked at me quizzically. "Uh, I'm cleaning up?"

"You heard Sabrina. You're supposed to relax. _I'll_ clean up. It's the least I can do." I gave her my crooked grin. She blushed just as I hoped she would. "Besides, don't tell Sabrina, but I'm a little afraid of her."

Bella laughed. It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I vowed to make her laugh more often now that I realized how wonderful it sounds. "Sabrina's bark is worse than her bite. You should know that by now, Edward." I got chills just from hearing Bella saying my name. "But, I don't think I need to tell her you're afraid of her. She can already smell your fear." I smiled and nodded. This is probably true.

Bella continued. "She and Alice are small, really feisty and sometimes mean, but loyal as lions that's for sure. Isn't that why we love them both so much?" I nodded. That was also true. "Come on, I'll help you, but I'll let you take the credit. How about that?"

"I'd say that's very generous of you, Bella. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

So we silently cleared off the table and did the dishes side by side at the sink. Our hands would brush accidentally every so often and I'd feel an electric charge every time we touched. I wondered if she felt it too. I did notice her taking a few deep breaths. She looked pensive. She must have really been deep in thought. We didn't say a word to each other as we washed the dishes. But the silence wasn't uncomfortable.

We finished the dishes and the others still weren't back yet. I'm sure Sabrina was stalling as much as she could, giving Bella and me as much time alone as possible.

"So, I'm sorry for you and Tanya breaking up," Bella said softly out of nowhere. Then she added, "Again," with a wry smile.

"Thanks," I said. "It's for the best. And I was serious. Tanya and I are done for real this time."

Bella merely nodded. "Well, if you ever need to talk, Edward, I'm here." She touched my arm.

I took a deep breath and took her hand off of my arm and placed it in both of mine. "I know, Bella. You've always been here." Bella was looking down at our hands. I think I took her by surprise. I took a finger from one hand and placed it under her chin to gently lift her gaze to mine. "And I've been completely…blind." Bella had a look of shock in her eyes, but I continued. "I've been blind until now," I whispered. I slowly leaned in and brushed my lips against hers.

Bella gasped in surprise at first but then she leaned in, too, kissing me back. It was quite possibly the sweetest kiss I've ever experienced. I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against hers. I breathed in her sweet, floral scent. How have I never noticed before how lovely she smelled? "I've been an idiot, Bella. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Edward?" She asked confused.

"I'm sorry for being blinded by 'big boobs and long legs'." I replied sheepishly. "I see the light now."

"You do?" She still wasn't sure about what I was telling her.

"Yes, silly Bella. The light in your eyes." I kissed her again this time with more passion. I felt like the luckiest man alive. By some miracle, Bella was kissing me back with just as much passion. She wound her fingers around my hair. Then I felt moisture on my face. Bella was crying. We were so close that her tears were falling on me. I broke the kiss again pulling away just enough to look at her. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. I was scared she was going to reject me now after I put myself out on a limb. Well, if she were to reject me, it's what I deserve for probably acting too late. But if she had to reject me, I wish she'd do it quickly. "Bella?"

"It's just…you don't know how long I've been wanting this," she cried.

I sighed with relief and wiped her tears away gently with my thumbs. "I'm sorry, Love. But thank you for waiting. I was scared that I was too late." I smiled at her.

She laughed her musical laugh. "I had to wait. Sabrina said one day you'd come to your stupid senses and then you'd really feel like an ass for not realizing it sooner, and if I actually were to give you a chance, she said you should get down on your knees and thank your lucky stars you weren't too late."

"I'm not? Too late, I mean." I whispered and then held my breath.

"No, better late than never. Actually, I was beginning to think it might be never, but Sabrina and Alice wouldn't let me give up. I really think Sabrina would have kicked your ass just like she said."

I had to laugh as well. "Yeah, I know she would have. Sabrina Kingston: prognosticator. What would we do without her?" Then, I looked Bella in the eye. "I love you, Isabella Swan. I'm sorry I've been such an ass."

She laughed again and I was in heaven. "I love you too, Edward Cullen. Ass and all." And to my surprise she smacked my butt. And yes, I enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**A/N **Okay, my first author's note. Lemon alert! I cleaned this up quite a bit so as not to offend too many people. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter and the story in general. This is my first fanfic so be gentle. )

Chapter 3

**BPoV**

I couldn't believe it. I was actually kissing Edward. Edward was kissing me. I had been dreaming of this moment since the day I met him back in high school. I couldn't hold back my tears of joy. He said he loves me. Edward loves _me. _ Insignificant, plain Jane me.

Alice and Sabrina have been telling me for years to keep holding on and he'd come to his senses. I was really losing hope though. No matter how many times he and Tanya broke up, they inevitably got back together only to be miserable again. But that last argument he and Sabrina had in the cafeteria really scared me. I felt like he was choosing that awful Tanya over our friendship. Well, he did for a little while I guess. I was so hurt that day. Both Sabrina and I were. Actually, more than anything I was heartbroken. At least I was always able to be friends with Edward and hang out with him even while he was with Tanya, but then it seemed like I, well we, lost our best friend.

The weeks following that incident were not fun. Thank goodness for Alice and Sabrina and school to take my mind off of Edward. Alice and Sabrina are fiercely loyal to me. I can't imagine my life without them. When Sabrina says she'll kick someone's ass, she'll do it. Maybe not physically, though she is freakishly strong and quick, but in all the time I've known her, she's always come to my defense and stood up for me. She's always ready for a verbal confrontation. I think she can outsmart anyone or at the very least wear them out. I'm glad I'm on her good side that's for sure. She always has the words to make me feel better no matter how lousy I'm feeling.

After that incident, which Sabrina dubbed _Tanya-gate_, we were both very upset to say the least. I was crying because I didn't think I'd get to hang out with Edward anymore. Sabrina was pissed at him because he just let that "vile skank tell him what to do, and if he's not man enough to do what he wants then screw him. Sorry Alice," were her exact words.

Alice did not take any offense since she was just as appalled by Edward's behavior as we were.

So the first couple weeks consisted of Sabrina cursing Edward to the deepest pits of Hades while I was heartbroken. Then as I moved more into a depression she started reassuring me more. "Don't worry, that idiot will come to his senses soon. I mean he has to right? No one is that much of a jerk!"

And then when we came to terms with actually missing his presence she'd say, "Okay, we'll ask him to come to our next pizza night. We're awesome people. He must miss us too, right?" But that never happened. We texted him about pizza night, but he never answered. That was about a month ago. I guess it must have been around the time he and Tanya broke up this last time. He's been going through the break up all alone this time. It must have been hard on him.

But none of that mattered anymore, because at this moment it was just Edward and I. I was in his arms. He wants to be with me. Unbelievable! I was in heaven!

That night after the others came back from the ice cream run, we were watching _Run Fat Boy Run_ to get Sabrina inspired for her marathon. Of course they all knew Edward and I were getting together. It's been years in the making. Sabrina got a couple jibes in to make me blush. Apparently it amuses them all when I blush. It's practically a competition anymore. Who can make Bella blush first, or who can make Bella blush the reddest? I know it's all out of love though.

Anyway, I fell asleep in Edward's arms. I guess he carried me to my bedroom. The next think I knew was I was cuddled up with Edward on my bed. He had just put me in bed. I woke up when he placed me on it. He kissed my forehead and said, "Goodnight, love," and he was about to leave, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him down on the bed with me. Nothing happened. I just wanted him there with me holding me. The last things I remembered before drifting off to sleep were his arms tight around me and his lips against my hair as he hummed a lullaby.

Early the next morning I woke up but Edward wasn't in bed though the spot next to me was still warm. He must have gotten up to use the bathroom. I had to smile as I remembered the events of the last night. I was pulled back to the present as I heard Sabrina's voice. I could only assume she was talking to Edward. "Don't' ask. Don't tell. I don't need to know. I don't want to know. Carry on!"

A minute later, Edward came back into my room chuckling. I looked at him quizzically. "Sabrina caught me doing the walk of shame back in here," he grinned.

"Shame?" I teased. "Are you embarrassed to be here?"

"Of course not," he kissed my forehead. "But leave it to Sabrina to point everything out. She's going out running, by the way," he raised his eyebrows at me suggestively. "So…"

"So…you can bring me breakfast in bed?" I teased again.

"Anything you want, love, but first, I need to make sure you're real and that last night actually happened."

"How are you going to do that?" I asked with genuine curiosity. Honestly, I, too, wanted to make sure it wasn't all a dream.

He smelled my hair. "Yep, that's real. How have I never realized how delicious your hair smells?" He sniffed again, "Mmm. Strawberries?" I nodded.

Next he kissed my earlobe and whispered seductively, "Yep, your earlobes are real."

Then he brushed his nose against my face going the length of my jawbone. He made this circuit a few times before saying, "Yep, your face is real and very beautiful I might add." I blushed. "Oh, and that blush is definitely real and absolutely sexy." I believed I blushed even redder if that were possible. _I'm sexy?_

Then he traced the contours of my body from the top of my shoulder slowly down my arm, resting his hand on my hip a moment before traveling down the side of my thigh. He rested his hand briefly on my knee before taking a hold of it and hitching it over his leg as we were lying on our sides facing each other. My breath caught in my throat as he placed my leg over his. We pressed our bodies closer together. He then tilted my chin up towards his face and leaned in for a long and passionate kiss. Our tongues danced and intertwined with each other's. Our mouths moved together as if they were meant only to kiss the other's. I tilted my pelvis up a bit to close any space left between us as I twisted my fingers in his hair. His pelvis ground against mine and it was then that I felt how much he wanted me. It was also then that I realized how much I wanted him as well.

I moved my hands under his t-shirt tracing the contours of his chiseled stomach and chest. He was just so perfect. I lifted his shirt up a bit and began kissing his skin as I was revealing it. I rolled on top of him straddling his hips. I finished pulling up his shirt over his head completely removing it. I don't know what came over me. I guess I really have been waiting for this moment for years and I wasn't going to waste a second of it now that it was actually happening.

I pinned Edward's hands above his head on the pillows as we continued to kiss. When I finally needed air I moved my mouth from his lips to his neck breathing in his masculine scent. Edward took this opportunity to free his hands from my grip and slide them under my top as well. My skin was on fire as he gently caressed me with his fingers eliciting a moan from me. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to feel his mouth on me so I sat up grinding myself against him as I pulled my shirt off over my head. Tossing my shirt to the side I grazed my breasts against his chest. I let out another moan as I felt Edwards warm mouth on my body. I can't believe how good that felt.

I bent my head down to his ear and moaned, "Oh, Edward, don't stop."

His hands were at the top of my pajama shorts slowly tugging them down and then cupping my butt. I kicked my shorts off as Edward rolled on top of me. This time I was inching his jeans and boxers off and then began stroking him. Edward moaned as he kissed me fiercely. He then broke the kiss moving his mouth towards my ear and asking in a husky voice, "Bella, do you really want to do this? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Edward," I answered back urgently," I've wanted this forever, but…do you have…protection?" I looked him in the eye not hiding how badly I wanted to be with him.

He nodded. He leaned over the side of the bed to get a condom from his jeans. I gripped his shoulder to brace myself. This was going to be my first time. I was scared but elated that it would be with Edward. Edward either knew this or at least sensed it.

"Bella, are you sure?" I nodded. "Okay, then just relax."

I blew out my breath slowly. I didn't even know I was holding it. Edward then kissed me gently and I began to relax. The feeling was incredible. It was like Edward knew exactly how to move to make my body respond. Finally, I felt this tingling sensation as my body tensed up and then shook a bit. I gasped in ecstasy. The tingling only lasted a short time, but it's a feeling I'll never soon forget and would crave to feel again I'm sure. Soon after, Edward's body did the same before he collapsed on top of me. Both of our breathing was ragged. He was kissing me again. I felt him smile against my mouth. He looked at me and said, "I love you, Bella. Are you okay?"

I merely smiled back and said, "I love you too, Edward, and I'm more than okay. Thank you." He knew I was thanking him for more than just asking if I was okay.

"You're so beautiful, Bella. Thank _you_."

I blushed. I was now embarrassed as I realized all my actions and how forward I was. I hope he didn't think poorly of me now. I hid my face in his chest.

"What is it, Bella?"

"It's just…I can't believe I, we just did that. Edward, that was my first time. I'm sorry if I was…awkward, I…"

He cut me off. "Shh, Bella. You were perfect. You surprised me actually when you were taking control. I liked it. Quite a bit really." He chuckled.

I blushed again. "Well, I guess I've had plenty of time to think about it." Then I just realized something. "Hey, do you always carry condoms around?"

Now he blushed. He shook his head. And I knew what he was about to say before the word formed on his lips.

"Sabrina." We said simultaneously.

"Damn, how does she know everything? It's spooky isn't it?" I asked.

"Uncanny more like. You know, I think she knows us better than we know ourselves sometimes," Edward theorized. I had to agree with him. "Remind me to thank her later."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I'm using some of Stephenie Meyer's characters. I do not own Twilight.**

Chapter 4

**Sabrina PoV**

Yea! Edward and Bella are finally together! My god, I was questioning whether Edward was really that dense. He came to his senses without me having to kick his ass. And now those two are practically inseparable.

The night of the pasta dinner Alice and I made Jasper drive around aimlessly so we could give Edward and Bella time alone. Jasper didn't get it at first, primarily because he's got a Y chromosome and needs things spelled out, but after a few times of us telling him how excited we were that Edward's not an idiot anymore, Jasper finally understood. We were gone for a good forty-five minutes before coming home with the ice cream. We tried to make as much noise as possible to alert them of our arrival.

How did I know Edward would finally realize Bella was his girl? As infuriating as he is, I've got faith in him. Deep down I knew there was no way Tanya could hold his attention for much longer. Especially since the girl's been around the block more times than the mail man. This final break up was a long time coming.

When we came in Edward and Bella were looking quite cozy on the love seat watching _Run, Fat Boy, Run_, the movie Jasper brought over that was supposed to get me amped for the marathon today.

"Hey, you started the movie without us? I'm the one who needs the inspiration here," I bellowed.

"Well, we weren't sure how long you'd be gone so we started it. Do you want to restart the movie?" Bella asked.

"No, that's okay. We have ice cream, but it looks like you've been getting some sugar from Edward already!" We all laughed. I couldn't help but tease them. We laughed even harder when Bella blushed and hid her face against Edward's chest. He was rubbing her back to sooth her embarrassment, but he was laughing along with us. Good times.

Alice and I looked at each other then ran over to throw ourselves on top of Edward and Bella. "Group hug!" Alice yelled.

"You guys are crushing Bella," Jasper pointed out.

"No we're not, Jazz. Besides it's all out of love," Alice said.

"Yeah, really, Jasper. Anyways, don't these two look so cute together?" I asked. I looked at Edward. "I'm glad you finally wised up, Edward." I held my fist out for him to pound.

"I'm glad too!" Alice squealed.

"Me three," Edward agreed.

"Me four!" Bella added.

We all looked at Jasper. He rolled his eyes at us. "Fine, me five," he said grudgingly.

We then finished the ice cream and the movie. Edward stayed over that night as well. Don't ask me if anything actually happened. Knowing Bella probably nothing happened, but all I know is when I got up early yesterday morning to run, like five in the morning, Edward was using the bathroom. He came out and almost plowed right into me. I smirked at him and he looked a little embarrassed.

I just shook my head, "Don't ask. Don't tell. I don't want to know. I don't need to know. Carry on!"

He grinned sheepishly and gave me a playful punch in my arm as he started to make his way back to Bella's room. I grabbed his arm real quick and held up a finger signaling him to wait a second. I went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet quickly grabbing a condom and handing to him. I mouthed, "Just in case," and winked. You never know, and I wanted them to be safe. Why did we even have condoms in our apartment? With Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett over randomly we just kept a stash here. I shudder to think if anything has ever happened in the shared living space though. Eww.

When I got back from my run Bella was in the kitchen but Edward was gone. He had gone home to shower and change but he'd be back in a little while. Bella couldn't help but grin as she told me this. They must have made breakfast. Good. I was starving. I sat at the kitchen table after grabbing bacon, toast and juice.

"Thanks for breakfast, Bells. So are you going to spill or what?"

"What are you talking about, Sabrina?" She tried to sound as if she didn't know what I was talking about.

I rolled my eyes. "Hello, it's me Bells. We've both been waiting for you two to get together for years so stop playing coy with me and dish!"

She laughed and blushed. How cute. "Oh god, Bells. You two are already in deep, huh?"

Blush. I had to pull an Alice and squeal and clap. I jumped up and hugged her. "Bells, I'm so happy for you! Finally!"

"I know, Sabrina. I can't believe it. All I know is that Edward and I were washing dishes then he was confessing his feelings for me. It was surreal. I thought I was dreaming." Bella was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Well, it was real so deal with it," I told her.

"I am." Then she blushed again. "Hey, Sabrina, before you went running this morning, you know when you ran into Edward outside the bathroom? How did you know?"

Ah, the protection. "Well, I didn't know for sure. I had a feeling you guys may be getting hot and heavy pretty fast seeing as you've wanted him for years. Luckily we had a stash in the bathroom due to our other, uh, amorous friends? Lord knows it's not my stash." We laughed.

"Well, thanks, Sabrina. Great thinking."

"You're welcome. So…how was it?" I knew it was her first time, and since I'm not experienced in that way I was truly curious.

"It was better than I had ever imagined, Sabrina," Bella sighed.

"Awesome," I said.

So it's been a couple days now and Edward has been somewhat of a fixture in our apartment. They were so punch drunk in love they hardly noticed me coming and going. I just tried to stay out of their way. They were watching movies and cooking together. That was nice because I got to eat too.

Meanwhile, I was too busy being nervous about the race. Well, I really didn't consider it a race. I'll be happy to just finish and not croak on the side of the road, and if I can finish under five hours I'll be ecstatic. Plus, it's my birthday! Wow, twenty-one. I can legally drink my wine now. I checked the time. It was seven thirty. The race was to start at eight. Bella and Edward were driving me there. That was nice of them. I doubt I'll feel like driving after running twenty-six point six miles. Ugh! I can't believe I'm going to do this.

"Why am I doing this again, guys?" I asked both Edward and Bella. They sensed my nerves.

"Relax, Sabrina. You've always wanted to complete a marathon before you die remember?" Edward answered.

"And we're going to cheer you on so you can finish," Bella encouraged.

"Why would you want to do that? Marathons are boring to watch! They televised the Olympic marathon and I wanted to shoot myself it was so stale, and _I'm_ a runner! You know you guys can just drop me off and come back in like five hours. Hopefully I'll be done by then. It's not going to be very exciting. Just a large group of idiots running for a long time."

"Don't be silly!" Bella yelled at me. "You'll do great. We'll be driving ahead to different spots so we can watch you run and make sure you stay hydrated. Oh, and don't forget your mantra: I can do this."

I had to smile. "Okay, I'll try to remember. Suit yourselves. Stay and watch, but don't bitch later about how boring it is."

We arrived and I went to check in and get my number. I was relieved to see various sized runners there. This didn't look so bad. If these people can do this so can I. I felt a surge of confidence.

I clipped my iPod around my arm and put my ear buds on. Edward, Bella and Alice had created a marathon playlist that was to last at least five and a half hours. I hadn't listened to any of it yet. I ran for five minutes to warm up then took the ear buds out to stretch. I was finished stretching when I heard people screaming my name.

Oh god. I looked over to the side and saw my friends and my parents and even some of my friends' parents cheering for me. The race hadn't even started yet. Alice was holding a "Go Sabrina Go! And Happy Birthday!" sign. I bet she had more than enough energy to run this with me if she really wanted. I had to smile a little at them. I waved lamely as I rolled my eyes at them.

Emmett, Edward, Rosalie and my mom yelled, "Run, Sabrina! Run!" in their best Forrest Gump impressions. I had to laugh and blow them a kiss. They were ridiculous.

Suddenly all the runners were lined up behind the starting line. I put my ear buds back in and took a deep breath. Okay, Sabrina. It's go time!

I heard a gun go off signaling the start. I was back quite a bit so I had to wait a while to actually start moving. As I passed my friends and family I saw them yelling and jumping up and down for me. It was quite a freak show.

Mile 1: I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers blasted in my ear.

Mile 5 (fifty-five minutes in): I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. New Order's "True Faith" played.

Mile 10 (almost two hours in): Good pace. Good pace. Good pace. "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield was blaring.

Mile 15 (two and three quarter hours in): Over halfway done. Over halfway done. Over halfway done. "Lithium" by Nirvana was on.

Mile 20 (three and a half hours in): Oh dear god. Oh dear god. Oh dear god. "Hanging Tough" by New Kids on the Block? What the hell?

Mile 22 (four hours in): This sucks. This sucks. This sucks. "Give it to Me" by Timbaland was on now.

Mile 24 (four and half hours in): Bloody hell. Bloody hell. Bloody hell. "Move Along" by All American Rejects was blaring.

Mile 25 (a mile and half left!) I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls. If I hadn't been so close to death I would have smiled. I love this song.

Mile 26 (approaching finish line, and crossing just fifteen minutes under five hours ): Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! Blue October's "Into the Ocean" was on as I pulled the ear buds out while crossing the finish line.

I kept running for about twenty feet after crossing the line. I heard a lot of screaming and cheering and felt arms all around me hugging me and patting my back. I bent over placing my hands on my knees trying to breathe while concentrating on not throwing up.

Just then a microphone was shoved in my face as my family and friends were pushed back by some reporter and her TV news posse. "Excuse me miss, was this your first marathon?" a woman wearing a bright blue blazer and too much eye makeup and blush was asking me. I pulled my head back with a scowl as I noticed the TV camera was being shoved in my face.

"Huh?" I was not in the mood for this. I felt nauseated.

"Was this your first marathon, miss?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Would you like to talk to us about what it feels like to complete your first marathon?"

"No, not really." Someone get this woman away from me. I looked around and my friends and family were snickering.

"Oh, ha ha." She tried to play it off like I was joking. I was not. "Really, how do you feel right now?" She stuck the dumb microphone back in my face.

"Wretched." I couldn't help but be curt with her. She stared at me blankly. "Look, I'm sorry. You probably want me to say I feel fantastic and that I can't wait to do this again and that I feel great because I've trained long and hard for it, which I did, but I can't lie. It sucked. I don't want to do that again. I'm nauseated, and you are dangerously close to wearing my vomit on your blue Jimmy Choos."

She had a look of utter shock and horror on her face as she slowly backed away from me to go find a runner with a sunnier disposition. Good luck. I can't believe anyone would want to be interviewed after experiencing such torture like that.

"Sabrina! That wasn't nice!" My mom scolded me. Everyone else was laughing as they were moving towards me again.

"What? I told the woman I didn't want to talk about it."

"Well, still. Oh, honey, happy birthday. I'm so proud of you!" She threw her arms around me. I was all sweaty and gross. I couldn't believe she wanted to touch me. Must be a mom thing.

"Uh, mom, I'm really sweaty and nasty right now. I wouldn't do this if I were you." I turned to everyone as I pulled out of her embrace. "Thanks for coming out guys. I know a marathon really isn't that exciting, but I appreciate the support. I really need a shower and my bed now though."

Right on cue Bella and Edward were at my side ready to take me home. Bella, bless her, handed me a bottle of water. "Thanks, Bells."

"Okay, rest up and we'll see you tonight. Alice reserved a room at an Italian restaurant so we can celebrate the marathon and your twenty-first birthday. Dad wants to buy you a beer. We'll see you at seven?" Mom asked.

"Okay, thanks, Mom. See you later. Bye Dad. Bye everyone. See you later and thanks again." I started walking with Bella and Edward to the Volvo. Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were with us walking towards their respective cars as well.

"Sabrina, you finished a marathon _and _you're twenty-one! This is so exciting!" Alice screamed.

"You reserved a room for this?" I shook my head. "You're so funny. Are you that hard up for an excuse to throw a party, Alice?"

"Any excuse at all," Alice admitted.

"Will there be cake?" I asked.

"Of course!" Alice answered.

"All right then, I'm in," I said dryly.

"Sabrina, aren't you excited at all?" Bella asked.

"Look, I'm happy I didn't die out there because that completely sucked. It was torture. I was sure you'd all have to scrape me off of the street. I definitely hit the wall around mile 17. I don't know how I kept going, but please, don't let me do that again. Promise me, Bella." I sounded severe.

"Okay, okay. No more marathons for Sabrina. But you should really be proud of yourself. How many people can say they've completed a marathon?"

"Uh, how about six hundred people today in Seattle alone?" I informed her.

She rolled her eyes at me as we got in the car. "The pride in your accomplishment will hit you tomorrow so go ahead and be grouchy today. You've been through a lot."

"Thanks," I said. "Oh, and thanks for the awesome marathon playlist. Good stuff, guys. 'Hanging Tough' at mile 20? Genius."

"That was Bella's idea," Edward grinned.

"Whatever, Edward. I know you're a closet New Kids fan from way back. Don't blame Bella just because she's an easy scapegoat."

"Fine, Sabrina, you outed me. I'm a boy band fanatic," Edward stated sarcastically.

Bella and I laughed. "Well the first step towards recovery is admitting it," I said.

We soon arrived home. I jumped in the shower, threw on yoga pants and a tank top and crashed.

Alice came jumping on my bed at six o'clock waking me up from probably the best nap in the history of naps. Honestly, my body must have really needed it. I didn't want to get up. I was extremely sore. I felt I had been steamrolled. Yet another reason to not run in another marathon. The list was growing fast.

"Wake up, Sabrina! I came to help you get ready for your party! I just finished with Bella, and now it's your turn!"

"Oh my god, Alice, you're at an eight and I need you at like a two. Now leave me alone." I threw the covers over my head in an attempt to drown her out. It was futile.

"Sabrina Kingston, you get up this instant so you can get ready for _your_ party! We only have fifty-three minutes. Edward! Bella!"

"Get up, Sabrina!" came from a couple of monotone voices from the living room. It was followed by snickering.

Alice was now dragging me out of bed (she's small but freakishly strong) and shooing me into the bathroom shouting out orders for me to wash my face, brush my teeth and turn on the flat iron.

"Is it okay if I pee or will that throw us off schedule?"

"Sabrina, work with me here!"

"Fine, but I'm not getting all ho'd up just so you can get your jollies as a frustrated stylist slash cosmetologist!" I heard more laughter from the living room. I'm glad someone was amused.

I came back to my room and Alice had an outfit laid out for me. I threw on the dark washed jeans, pink blouse and wedge sandals. She quickly did my hair and makeup. I was perfectly capable of doing these things myself, but I let Alice have her way. I knew she'd never make me wear something I absolutely protested to. Unlike Bella, I enjoyed the occasional retail therapy session. Alice's style for me was very similar to my own so I really don't mind her jumping in. It's just fun to bicker with her, which is what we did the entire time she was styling me.

Alice and I finally walked out to the living room to find Bella, Edward and Jasper cracking up.

"What are you three giggling about?" I asked.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one putting up a fight when Alice wants to play dress up," Bella admitted.

"You two are so feisty. Remind me never to get on either of your bad sides again," Edward chuckled.

"Whatever, Edward. C'mon, we're going to be late if we don't leave now!" Alice shouted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I'm using some of Stephenie Meyer's characters. I do not own Twilight.**

Chapter 5

**EPoV**

So we got to the restaurant. We had a private room for Sabrina's party. We didn't need a really big room. It was just Sabrina's parents, her little sister Maisy, my parents, Bella's mom, Renee and the rest of us. The plan was to have dinner and cake and open presents. After the party the seven of us were going out to a club so Sabrina could get carded and experience clubbing as a legal drinker. We didn't party a lot, but we'd go out every once in a while. Sabrina was the last of us to turn twenty-one so we had a pretty good fake ID for her. It never failed. It probably didn't hurt that she oozed confidence. She'd just stand there coolly and expectantly waiting for the bouncer to check her fake, hand it back and nod for her to enter. They never said no.

We had a really good time hanging out with our friends and family. I never left Bella's side. Our parents seemed to notice and smiled their approval. Sabrina's mom, Chera, even came up to me when Bella was talking to Sabrina's dad and poked me in my shoulder saying severely, "It's about time, Edward!"

I had to laugh. The apple truly does not fall far from the tree. As long as I've known Sabrina and her family they've always been outspoken. At least the women in the family were. Even Maisy was sassy despite being only three and a half. Sabrina's and Chera's influence on Maisy was evident. Sabrina's dad, George, was really low key and laid back though. Sabrina always said her parents balanced each other out.

"What's about time, Edward?" Maisy asked me tugging on my pants. I picked her up and gave her a hug. She is so cute. She was a little sister to all of us. Sabrina's mom had Maisy our senior year. Sabrina was weirded out by it at first but didn't take long to accept it. She was just used to being an only child. Once Maisy was born Sabrina was hands on as a big sister. She loved spending time with Maisy. Sabrina was really great with little kids. I think that's why she's majoring in Early Childhood Education and teaching ballet to preschoolers every summer. Sometimes she'd give Maisy private lessons in the kitchen. Maisy loved it, and it was really cute to watch.

"What my Mommy talking about, Edward?" I loved the way she spoke. She was actually very articulate for being almost four.

"Oh, Bella and I like each other, Maisy. What do you think about that?" I asked her.

I couldn't believe it. Little Maisy rolled her eyes at me and said, "Duh!" I had to laugh. Even this child knew before I did. I really am an idiot. Then realization hit Maisy. "No more Tanya?" she asked with excitement in her voice.

Suddenly I felt eveyone's eyes on us when they heard what Maisy asked. The room was silent as they all awaited my response. "No, Maisy, no more Tanya."

"Good!" she declared.

"Maisy!" Chera scolded her. "That's not nice!"

Maisy just looked at her mom and said, "Tanya not nice."

Everyone was pressing their lips together trying not to laugh out loud, but I can see they were all shaking with amusement, Esme, my mom included. Wow, it seemed no one was a Tanya fan. I had to file this away and ask questions about it later.

Esme, cleared her throat. "Let's have cake now?" Everyone cheered their consent.

After cake, Sabrina opened her gifts. They consisted of birthday cards with gift cards inside. Sabrina was pretty picky so no one except Alice was ever brave enough to venture out and actually buy her a present. Alice has an uncanny ability to know the perfect gifts for people. She had gotten Sabrina an ipod arm band that also recorded distance and time. Sabrina loved it. Alice loved the fact that Sabrina and she would go shopping together to spend the gift cards. Bella winced at the thought because she knew they'd drag her with them.

Soon it was time for the parents to go home. We said our good byes. Sabrina's parents knew we were taking her out, and they just made sure there was a designated driver. Tonight it was going to be me. We bid them goodbye with Maisy asleep on George's shoulder. It was pretty late for her, but the evening was still young for her big sister.

We left the restaurant and headed to Club Luxe, which had just opened last weekend. Alice reserved a VIP table for the occasion. As we walked up to the bouncers we were all allowed entrance. Bella and Sabrina both got carded though. Bella showed her ID and got the nod. Sabrina handed her ID to the bouncer. He checked it, handed it back to her and nodded, but Sabrina didn't move. She was staring at the bouncer expectantly. He was staring back at her with a puzzled expression. We were all wondering what the heck she was doing.

"Do you have nothing to say to me?" Sabrina asked the bouncer. She sounded exasperated. Did she know him? We were all looking at each other quizzically.

It must have finally hit him. "Oh, yeah, happy birthday."

"Thank you!" Satisfied with the proper response, Sabrina smiled. We just rolled our eyes at her. She's unbelievable.

Once we sat down, Emmett ordered some shots of tequila for everyone except me and Jasper as we were both designated tonight. Emmett, Rose, Alice and Sabrina did theirs quickly. Bella didn't want to drink though. I was actually happy. I'd get to talk to her with out alcohol clouding the conversation. Bella gave her shot to Sabrina who gladly took it. For being so small Sabrina could shockingly hold her liquor. And she never got mean or obnoxious, at least not more than normal. She was a fun drunk. Her cheeks would get rosy and she'd babble on and on if you let her. She was hilarious.

Alice and Sabrina sashayed off to the dance floor. Bella stayed beside me watching the action.

"Don't you want to dance, love?" I asked her speaking right into her ear so she'd hear me over the loud music. She shook her head and gave me an "are you crazy look".

"You know I don't dance, Edward. Besides, I like the view from here." She was staring at me. I had to kiss her.

So we sat there watching our friends dance. Alice and Sabrina looked like they were having fun. Random guys would come up and dance with them. They didn't mind unless the guys tried to put their hands on them. Neither girl was having that. They'd keep dancing but thwart the advance by wagging a finger in the guys' faces. It was really funny. Bella and I were making up dialogue of what we thought Alice and Sabrina would actually say to those guys. I was cracking up at Bella's impersonations of her friends. She was dead on.

I then remembered something I wanted to ask Bella. "Hey, Bella, does no one actually like Tanya?"

Her eyes got big and she looked a little guilty. "I've never been a fan. Sorry."

I nodded. "Why not?" I wanted to know.

"Well, she's just not very nice or much fun I guess." I nodded again. "Are you mad?"

"About your opinion? Of course not. I'm just curious." I could tell there was more but Bella was trying to be kind.

Just then Alice bounced up towards us. "Hey, Alice. What's your opinion of Tanya?" I asked her.

Alice rolled eyes and shook her head.

"Why?" I asked my sister.

Alice wrinkled her nose and said simply, "Stale," dragging the one-syllable word out.

Then Sabrina came dancing back to the table. I couldn't wait for her response. Sabrina rarely held back when she was sober. Her answers should be interesting tonight with a few drinks in her.

"Hey, Sabrina, what do you think of Tanya?" I asked. Alice and Bella laughed as Sabrina pulled a disgusted look on her face. "Okay, why?"

"Off. The. Chain. Craaaaa-zy!" She pointed out as if it were obvious and then headed back to the dance floor.

Alice and Bella were still laughing. I had to join them. Leave it to Sabrina to be brutally honest.

Just then a guy came up to our table. We looked up from the booth and recognized him as Wes. He had wretched Sasha with him.

**Bella PoV**

So Wes and Sasha came over to our table. We stopped laughing at what Sabrina said as they approached.

"Hey, guys! How have you been? Long time no see, huh?" Wes seemed extra happy tonight.

"Hey, Wes," Edward shook his hand and smiled politely towards Sasha. "Hello, Sasha."

It didn't escape my notice that Sasha eyed Edward up and down before she said hello to him and then reluctantly to Alice and me. I really didn't like this girl.

"Great place huh?" Wes asked. "VIP seating, eh? Nice. Who'd you have to kill to get the VIP treatment?"

Alice rolled her eyes a bit. No one noticed but me probably. "No homicide had to be committed…yet" she added quietly. "I just thought it'd be nice for Sabrina's birthday." She gestured towards the dance floor where Sabrina was dancing with Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper. Sabrina looked back at us and Alice waved. Sabrina waved back. I don't think she noticed Wes and Sasha though.

"Oh, wow, it's Sabrina's birthday! Man, I completely forgot. She never mentioned it to me. I know she was training for the marathon. That was today right? Did she finish?" He laughed. I took it as an insult.

"Not only did she finish, she beat the goal that she set for herself as well. She did awesome. That's also why we're out celebrating." I informed him.

Sasha rolled her eyes, "Aw, how sweet, Sabrina ran in a little race on her birthday." Sasha then excused herself to go to the ladies room. I narrowed my eyes at her as she walked away.

"Sasha's quite a girl, Wes," I said sarcastically. I think he was too drunk to pick up on it though. Edward caught the sarcasm and patted my leg underneath the table.

"Thanks I know. So that's cool that Sabrina finished. I know she was training hard. That was always her excuse for not hanging out with me."

This guy must be drunk.

"Really, Wes, I thought you stopped hanging out because Sasha didn't want you seeing Sabrina?" I don't know where my boldness was coming from.

"Oh, er, yeah, well, Sasha's over that now. In fact, Sasha and I just got engaged today!"

_Oh my god! _"Really? Wow, that's…great." I said lamely. "Congrats, Wes."

Alice and Edward also mumbled their congratulations to him.

"Thanks, guys. That's nice. Hey, do you think Sabrina would be in the wedding? Sasha needs a maid of honor."

I nearly spat out the Coke I was drinking. What the hell is this guy talking about? Alice and Edward and I all looked at each other with eyes the size of cantaloupes. He cannot be serious. He really has no clue.

"Um, Wes, isn't it Sasha's decision on who she wants as maid of honor?" I asked.

"Yeah. I know, but it's just that Sasha doesn't have many girl friends you know?" Gee, I wonder why. "Maybe you and Alice could be in the wedding as well?"

He must be drunk _and_ high. Alice and I looked at each other again. Both of us incredulous. Before either of us could say anything, Sabrina came over.

"Hey, guys, what's up? Why do you two look like you've been molested?" Sabrina asked Alice and me. Edward couldn't contain his amusement. He was shaking from laughter. I elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

"Hey, Sabrina! Happy birthday!" Wes pulled her into a big bear hug. Her expression conveyed how very surprised she was at the gesture.

"Uh, thanks, Wes. Can you put me down now?" He set her down and was absolutely beaming at Sabrina. "Why are you looking at me like that, Wes?"

"I'm just happy to see you. I haven't seen you in forever."

"Well cut it out. It's kind of creepy." She snapped in a way that could only be described as Sabrina. Her tone had an edge, but you never could tell if she was joking or not. More times than not she was joking. "It's good to see you too." She looked around. "So where's your girl? I know you didn't come here alone."

"She's powdering her nose." Sabrina nodded. "So, Sabrina. I just told these guys the great news. Sasha and I just got engaged!"

Uh-oh. We all braced ourselves for the reaction. Poor Sabrina. She had a look of shock for just a millisecond then she plastered on a happy face and said, "Engaged? Wow…that's great. Congratulations." She sounded just as lame as we did.

"Thanks. I knew you'd be happy for us. Listen, we were wondering if you'd be the maid of honor?" He asked just as Sasha got back.

I felt Edward's body tense just as mine did as we again braced ourselves. "Say huh?" Sabrina was definitely surprised by the request.

"Ooo, yeah, Sabrina would you like to be in our wedding?" Sasha asked. This was unbelievable. Sasha couldn't stand Sabrina and now she wanted Sabrina to not only be in her wedding but be the maid of honor? I was utterly flabbergasted.

Sabrina didn't even hesitate after Sasha asked her. "Uh, no thanks." Just like that Sabrina turned them down. It was fabulous. No one could get away with that but Sabrina. Well, maybe Alice could. I know I couldn't.

"What?" Wes and Sahsa asked.

"Sabrina, don't you want to be in our wedding?" Wes asked. He actually sounded confused.

Sabrina simply shook her head and said matter-of-factly, "No, I really don't." And then she added to be polite, "But thanks for asking. I'm heading back out there," she gestured towards the dance floor. "Listen, congrats again. Good luck with the wedding and everything. And have a really good life together." She gave a big smile, patted Wes on the shoulder, turned to us and winked then went back to the dance floor like all they did was ask her if she wanted another drink. That girl never ceases to amaze me.

I would have cracked up if Wes and Sasha still weren't there with us, mouths agape with a look of pure awe in their eyes.

Alice broke the silence. "Well, this is awkward. I'm going back out there too. See you!" And she pranced off leaving Edward and me with them. Not fair!

I turned to Edward as a new song was coming on, "Ooo, Edward, I love this song!" I tugged him out of the booth. I really had no idea what song it was. I didn't care. I just wanted out of there and fast! I turned to Wes and Sasha, who were finally blinking now, said, "Bye, guys. Congrats!" and disappeared onto the dance floor with Edward who really was laughing now. Thank goodness the music drowned him out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**I own NOTHING! But Steph Meyer on the otherhand…**

**Chapter 6**

**EPoV**

I was cracking up as Bella pulled me out to the dance floor. I was still trying to process what just went down. I couldn't decide what was better: Sabrina flatly turning them down or all of us ditching Wes and Sasha like that. And Bella dragging me to the dance floor to escape the awkward situation was classic. We weren't even dancing. Bella just pulled me along as she was searching for our friends. We found them over by the bar.

Alice and Sabrina were talking to Rose, Emmett and Jasper. Alice was animated, gesturing wildly with her hands. No doubt she was recounting the previous incident. They were all in hysterics as Bella and I approached them.

Bella let go of my hand and ran to hug Sabrina. "Sabrina, that was awesome! Are you okay?"

Sabrina was laughing. I had to admit she was taking this Wes and Sasha engagement quite well. I was really surprised. "I'm fine," she said. And she did sound fine. "I'd like to go home now though." I nodded and the three of us, Bella, Sabrina and I, left.

Luckily we didn't pass Wes or Sasha on the way out. Not that Sabrina would feel awkward, but I kind of did. I'm sure Bella did too. We're just not as nervy as

Sabrina is.

Once we got in the car, I started the engine but didn't put it in drive yet. Sabrina was in the back seat. Bella and I both turned around looking at her expectantly.

She stared back at us. "What?" She asked as if nothing happened.

Bella and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. I finally started driving home to their apartment. "Sabrina, you're amazing," Bella said breaking the silence.

"Thanks," Sabrina said brightly.

"So are you going to tell us where that surge of empowerment came from?" I asked. I was genuinely curious. "Inquiring minds do want to know, Sabrina." I glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

She smiled and shrugged. "I had some time to think while I was running today so, no it wasn't the alcohol. I would have said that stuff sober. You guys know that."

"Yeah, we know that, Sabrina, but tell us what you thought about as you were running today," Bella said.

"Well, it all comes down to this: I don't like Sasha."

"And?" Bella prodded.

"Well, I'm a very good judge of character." I smiled at her. "I'm not saying that to brag. It's just true. The girl is toxic. Therefore, I have to question the character of anyone who actually likes her let alone anyone who _loves _her that isn't required to like her parents and siblings."

Bella and I were silent waiting for more. "Also, I'm tired. I'm tired of waiting on the sideline wishing he'd come to his senses and dump her. I'm a starter not a bench warmer." Again we waited for her to continue.

"So that's it," she said with finality. She sensed our hunger for more information. "Sorry it wasn't a huge epiphany or some religious experience, guys. I know. It's rather anticlimactic, huh?"

That it was, but I'm glad she came to this conclusion anyway.

"So you're not in love with him anymore?" Bella asked. "Just like that?"

Sabrina was thoughtful. "Well, it's not like I can just turn my feelings off and on, but it's easier to not love him if that makes sense. I know I've got to move on."

"Really, Sabrina. Are you sure? You never would have let me move on," Bella said.

"And thank goodness you didn't! Edward and I wouldn't be together now. So should I let you move on? Is that the right thing to do?"

"Yes, definitely it's the right thing for me. I wouldn't let you move on because I knew you two were perfect for each other. Remember? I'm the awesome judge of character? Anyway, I think I thought I was in love with Wes, but in actuality, I think I loved him because he was unattainable to me. And that's just stupid."

Something just hit me and I had to ask. "Sabrina, if you're such a good judge of character and you never liked Tanya, doesn't it follow that you would question my character?"

"Absolutely. I questioned your character all the time, Edward. Then I questioned myself for a little while there too. Like could I be wrong about you? But no, I decided that my initial assessment of you was right on. You're good people, and that's ultimately why I didn't give up on you. Besides, I've invested all these years being your friend. It was only a matter of time that you'd come to your senses."

"Nice," I responded. "So what's next for Sabrina Kingston?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm still young, and I don't think that my mom is fiending for any grandkids any time soon, and I can check running in a marathon off the ol' bucket list so I think I'll just play it by ear."

We made it back to the apartment. Sabrina thanked me for driving and Bella for a fun time. She went to her bedroom as Bella and I went into Bella's room.

Bella changed into her pajamas while I stripped down to my boxers. We got in bed and cuddled.

"She really sounds okay doesn't she?" Bella asked.

"Yep, Sabrina has a good head on her shoulders."

"She's so funny. I almost choked when she just flat out said no to being in the wedding. And the style in which she said all that tonight. Classic Sabrina. She can get away with saying the craziest things and have no qualms. I wish I could do that."

I laughed. "Hey, do you know that you and Alice never officially turned down their request for you to be in the wedding as well?" Bella's mouth fell open.

"You don't think they'd still want us in the wedding? We don't even know them that well. That's just crazy!" Bella was getting a bit overexcited. I had to laugh some more.

"Don't worry, if you're afraid to say no I'm sure Sabrina will set them straight for you," I laughed.

**Sabrina PoV**

The harsh morning sunlight broke through the curtains on my windows. "Ugh!" I groaned. I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? Except for my head and neck, I felt like I was run over by a semi-truck. I twisted my head to look at the time. I couldn't see, but then remembered my glasses on the nightstand and put them on. My clock read ten fifteen. Oh my god. I never sleep in like this. I was usually up early so I could go running. I made a face as I thought about running. It did not appeal to me at all.

Suddenly I heard knocking on my door as Bella popped her head in. "Morning, sunshine!" She was smiling. She was happy. She was a little too happy.

I made a face at her. "Why are you so perky? And why can't I move my body? I feel like a got hit by a truck."

"Sabrina, you ran twenty-six point six miles yesterday then we went to a club to celebrate your twenty-first birthday where you proceeded to pound several shots only to chase them with beer. Don't you remember any of it?" She walked in and sat on my bed.

Just then Edward poked his head in. Seeing as Bella was parked on my bed and I was still buried under my comforter he came in as well and sat down next to Bella. He was carrying a bottle of water and ac couple ibuprofens. "Morning, Sabrina. How are you feeling?"

I groaned.

"I don't think she remembers anything from last night or yesterday," Bella giggled.

I scowled. "I remember everything. I just can't believe how sore I am. Every fiber of my being hurts. I think even my eyelashes are throbbing. Bless you, Edward," I said as I took the water and meds.

"Well what do you expect, you ran in a marathon. Plus you were drinking a bit last night," Edward chuckled.

"Stop laughing at my pain. That's just cruel." I scowled again.

"Speaking of _cruel_," Bella said. "Do you still feel good about being mean to Wes and Sasha last night?"

Again, I made a face to scoff at her. "I wasn't being mean. I was being honest. There's quite a difference. But aren't _you_ excited about being in the wedding party, Bella?" Edward and I both laughed. "You and Sasha can be BFFs. Edward, I'm surprised Wes didn't ask you to be his best man." I shook with laughter. "Ow, it even hurts to laugh."

Bella shook her head. "No way, Sabrina. You don't think they'd actually believe Alice and I would do it would they? Not after how you turned them down."

I shrugged. "You are talking about two severely unbalanced individuals. There's no telling what they're thinking. Why didn't you just tell them no?"

"I was in too much shock from their request. Besides, you know I'm a coward. In a million years I wouldn't have your boldness, though I wish I did."

"Don't worry about it, Bells. They are delusional, but I don't think they're completely crazy. At least not Wes."

"I sure hope not because there's no way in hell I'm going to be in that wedding!" Bella declared.

"Good for you, Bells. Now what's going on today?" I asked.

"We were just waiting for you to get up, but you were sleeping the day away, Sabrina," Edward informed me.

"Give me a break, my body isn't functioning right. What's for breakfast anyway?" I asked as I started to get up. I groaned again as I stretched my arms up. "Wow, I'm sore!" I looked at the time again. "Ooo, the Cubs are on in an hour!" I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to shower. I could hear Bella and Edward laughing as I left them in the dust. "Hey no funny business on my bed, you two!" I shuddered at the thought.

I showered and dressed as quickly as I could. I didn't want to miss any part of the baseball game. It was the Cubs against the Brewers. It's quite a rivalry. Plus, it was a big game because the Cubs needed to win to maintain first place. The thing I like about the Cubs is that no matter where you are in the United States, some channel is televising the Cubs game.

Bella and Edward were all hugged up on the sofa watching a rerun of _The Soup_. I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence. "Break it up, you two!" I bellowed before actually reaching the living room. They were laughing. I'm sure it was more about the comedy on television than about my bellowing.

"Um, you know I love Joel McHale as much as the next guy, but, hello! The Cubs are on. So who's in? Bella?" She rolled her eyes. I know she loathes sports, but I still tried to get her into watching anyway. She usually stayed for a little while even asking questions occasionally, but ultimately, she'd get too bored and either fall asleep or go off reading in her room until the game was over and I would speak again. "Come on, Bella. This is going to be a great game. Edward? I know you're in right?"

Edward smiled. He loved sports just as much as I did. "I'm in as long as _you _try to restrain yourself from throwing things and swearing and punching me when you get frustrated with the way the game is going." He's watched many games with me over the years.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "I don't even know what you're talking about," I said coyly. Bella and Edward snorted. Then I grinned. "You know me too well, Edward, but I promise nothing. Besides, the last time I checked, this is still my house. Feel free to boss me around under your own roof." I picked up the remote and changed the channel. "Bella, however, could request all that of me, but we all know you guys secretly love watching games with me despite or perhaps especially for the potential for violence and profanity." I looked at them both smugly. "Huh? Am I right or am I right?" They just rolled their eyes at me.

As predicted, Bella tried to stick with the game. We tried telling her about balls and strikes, which she finally got a grasp on, but once we started on fouls after the second strike don't count as a third strike we lost her. Maybe next time. I definitely appreciated her efforts towards understanding. She grabbed a book and was reading in the living room with us.

Also as predicted, I was a nervous wreck and would mutter and curse. Mostly it was under my breath, but Bella and Edward would catch it anyways and remind me to calm down or they'd simply laugh at me. I only punched Edward's arm twice, but the punches were completely justified. One was when player got picked off when trying to steal second base and the other was after a bobbled catch. "Un-freaking-believable! I can't believe these so called professional athletes that get paid bank can't handle a little white ball. That's your job, moron! Catch the ball. It's not rocket science. Ugh! Maisy could have caught that!"

After the Cubs won I was in good spirits again. I was in excellent spirits actually. I couldn't help but smile whenever the Cubs won. "Wasn't that a great game, guys?"

Bella was asleep on the sofa with her book on her chest and her back against Edward's chest. Edward moved away from me after the second punch. I went over to him and pounded his fist. Edward's a Cubs fan too. I stretched my arms up above my head and yawned. "I'm down for a nap too. See you later," I told Edward on the way to my room. I was always drained after watching the Cubs or the Bears. They always stress me out.

I was lying on my bed trying to relax, but I couldn't clear my head for some reason. I kept thinking about Wes and Sasha and their engagement. Was I okay with it? I guess I had to be. He's asked her to marry him. If I ever had a chance it was dead now. I wanted to be okay with it. I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness wash over me. I talked a good game, and for the most part I really believed what I told Edward and Bella about moving on, but I have been in love (or at least what I thought was love) with Wes for four years now. How easy will it be to forget about my feelings for him? Probably not very easy, but I have to try. Pining over this guy just isn't healthy.

I decided that tomorrow will be a new beginning. I start teaching ballet and tap to preschoolers again, which I love. I'll just focus on that. I'll also look into teaching tennis for the park district on the days that I don't teach a dance class. I just need to keep busy. Leave zero time for thinking and pining. I'll keep running in the mornings and take a yoga class as well. Maybe Bella or Alice will even join me. I mused. Mmm, maybe not. I will forget about Wes and not even think about his engagement and wedding. I will be a sucker free new me hanging with my friends and family. The summer of Sabrina. Yes! This was an excellent plan.

**A/N Don't worry more Edward and Bella, some Alice craziness to come, and Tanya shall bring some drama. Suggestions are welcome. Review and stay tuned… --MJ**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing (sigh)

**Disclaimer: I own nothing (sigh)**

**Chapter 7 Bella PoV**

It's been a couple weeks now since Sabrina's birthday. She's been keeping really busy. We hardly see her anymore so today Edward and I are going to meet her at the dance studio after her class and drag her out to dinner with us. Luckily she doesn't work this weekend so it'll be good bonding time. We'll get to hang out just like old times. Tomorrow night we'll be celebrating Edward's birthday a day early since on Sunday we'll all be heading back to Forks for the day for Maisy's birthday and to see family. The last four years Edward's birthday has been extra special because he shares it with Maisy. He calls her his birthday buddy and he tries to out do us all including Sabrina and her parents as far as birthday presents for Maisy. It was mildly irritating.

Edward came to pick me up at five. He was over so much now that we've actually given him his own key. I was still getting ready when he came in. I found him plopped down on the sofa watching ESPN when I entered the living room. I still can't help but blush when he smiles that crooked grin with his green eyes smoldering at me.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted me as he stood up with arms outstretched for me. I melted right into his warm embrace laying my head at the crook of his neck. "You look great."

"Thanks. I managed to dress myself though Alice probably won't approve. I'm not in four inch heels. At least I know I have a good chance of surviving the night in these flats. In heels I'd for sure injure myself and most likely maim a few others on the way down."

"Yes, but no one could look lovelier than you when they are falling down, love."

"Gee, thanks." I pulled my head away to look at him. "What am I, the cute klutz?"

His eyes got wide. "You know, that's a great nickname. I think Emmett would love to use it."

"Whatever, Edward. It's actually nicer than some of the other names he's called me." I began to tick them off with my fingers. "The ungraceful Swan, Isabella Klutzarella, Crash Gordon…"

Edward chuckled. "I kind of like _Isabella Kluzarella_." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You have to admit, that's pretty clever for Emmett."

I rolled my eyes and smacked his chest. "Don't encourage him. Come on, if we leave now we can catch the last fifteen minutes or so of Sabrina's class. I just love watching those little girls dance. They're so cute."

It was a short drive to the dance studio and as we were walking in Edward asked, "Hey, didn't you take dance when you were little?"

"Yeah, but I was really bad. I fell once-"

"You only fell once? That's exceptionally good for you." He laughed at his own dumb joke.

"Wow, Edward, I think you've been hanging out with Emmett too much. You sound just like him. Should I smack the back of your head like Rose does to him when he says stupid stuff?"

He immediately looked repentant. "Sorry, no need for violence. I think you've been hanging out with Sabrina too much threatening me like that." He smiled that dazzling crooked grin that made me forget that I was annoyed with him. "You were saying?"

I shook the cobwebs out of my head in an attempt to undazzle myself. "As I was saying, I fell down one time and took down the whole line of dancers with me. It was like dominos falling only not as impressive. More like a twenty car pile up. I was five I think. I turned completely red and crawled off the stage—it was a recital of course. After that they always made me a prop that the others danced around like a tree something, and if there were no props needed they'd hide me at the back of the stage which I didn't mind since you couldn't really see me."

"Whoa, Bella. I'm no psych major but I think that experience has really scarred you. I think that's why you are so clumsy now. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. This cycle will never end until you address it head on."

"Address what head on?" I was confused.

"You felt clumsy in ballet and that's trickled into the rest of your life. The dance instructors put in your head that you were a klutz and that's probably why you are so…less than graceful?" He was trying to be nice.

I shook my head. "No, Dr. Phil, thanks for trying, but I'm pretty sure I'm clumsy because I have zero proprioception which is the root of my poor balance. And the carpet monster keeps trying to pull me down."

"Ah, yes, the carpet monster. He's evil."

"You got that right. I seem to be the only one he follows around."

We were standing in front of the window of one of the dance rooms. There were a handful of moms watching their kids. They didn't seem too impressed with the girls. Maybe they've seen the kids dance so much that it wasn't novel anymore, but I never tired of watching them in their little tutus and ballet shoes. Adorable.

They were walking on their tiptoes with a bean bag on top of their heads then Sabrina finished the class with plies. She gave out stickers to the girls and bid them goodbye. She cleaned up the room then came out. All the moms and girls were gone except for one little girl. She waited for Sabrina to finish in the room and they walked out together.

"Hey, Sabrina," Edward and I said in unison.

We turned to look at each other, "Jinx, you owe me a Coke." Then we laughed and heard a little giggle come from the girl.

Sabrina just shook her head at us. "Aren't they silly, Layla?"

"Yeah," Layla giggled some more. She was so cute.

"Hi, guys. What are you doing here?" Sabrina asked.

"We never get to see you so we are starting the weekend celebration tonight by taking you out to dinner," I informed her.

"We're meeting up with Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose at that Asian Fusion restaurant," Edward said.

"Ooo, yum. Sounds great. I just need to wait here with Layla for her ride. Her brother should be here soon. Want to wait with us or shall I meet you guys there?"

"We can wait with you," I said.

"Cool. Oh, Layla, these are my friends Bella and Edward. Bella, Edward, this is Layla."

"Hi, Layla. It's nice to meet you," Edward smiled at her. She was staring up at him. The awe was evident in her eyes. Layla was smitten with Edward. Could you blame her? Sabrina and I exchanged a knowing look. She rolled her eyes.

"Edward, quit it! She's only five." Sabrina scolded him. All I could do was laugh.

"What?" Edward was clueless of his effect on the ladies.

"He's very handsome isn't he, Layla?" I asked her. Layla blushed. She was too cute.

Just then a guy our age walked into the studio. He was tall and muscular though not as big as Emmett. He was an inch or two taller than Edward and slightly more muscular. He looked like he could be a football player. He had wavy black hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be biracial like Sabrina.

"Layla, your brother's here," Sabrina informed her. "Hey, Rylan." Sabrina smiled at him. Layla ran over to give her brother a hug. He immediately picked her up.

"Hey, Layla. Hi, Sabrina, sorry I'm late. Practice ran a little long tonight." I didn't miss that he was smiling broadly back at Sabrina. I nudged Edward during their little exchange.

"That's okay. My friends were waiting with us. I think she has a little crush on Edward here." Sabrina gestured to Edward as Rylan's gaze met ours.

"Uh-oh. Do I have to start beating up guys already? She hasn't even started kindergarten yet."

"I don't think that'll be necessary today, Rylan is it? Hi, I'm Edward and this my girlfriend Bella. You look familiar. Do you play football here?" Edward shook Rylan's hand as I said hello to him. I blushed from Edward publicly informing someone that I'm his girlfriend.

"Hi, Edward. Bella. Yeah, I'm a running back." Edward nodded his head once Rylan told him that and he could finally place him.

"Yes, that's right. You had one hell of a homecoming game last year. Bells, this guy ran for three touchdowns against Oregon. We won. That was a huge upset. It's really good to meet you, Rylan."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet friends of Sabrina. She's always so cryptic about who she hangs out with. Big plans for tonight?" My eyebrows rose up as Sabrina made a face.

"Cryptic? What are you even talking about, Rylan?" Sabrina asked him.

"Sabrina, every time I've asked you out you had '_plans with friends'._" He made the quotation marks with his hands.

"Seriously? You've asked me out _once_ and I was going over to our friends' house." She turned to Edward and me. "It was that night we were over at Emmett's and Rose's house." I nodded. She turned back to Rylan. "And why am I even justifying myself to you?" She didn't sound mad, but there was a definite edge to her voice.

"Actually, I asked you out one other time, but you mentioned something about Mario Lopez and A-B-something-something?" Rylan laughed.

"ABDC. Don't mess with Sabrina and _America's Best Dance Crew. _She loves that show," I told Rylan.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. So you haven't been making up lame excuses to get rid of me?"

"Well, the excuses are still lame, but I haven't been making them up, no."

"That's a relief. I'll catch you on a free night one of these times, Sabrina." Rylan winked at her. I think she blushed slightly. Oh my god, I think she likes Rylan!

"We're taking Sabrina out tonight to kick off our weekend celebration," Edward told him. "You can join us if you want." Sabrina glared at Edward.

"What's the occasion?" Rylan was curious.

"My birthday and Sabrina's sister's birthday are on Sunday. We'll be at Club Luxe tomorrow night if you'd like to join us then too." Sabrina was gawking at Edward trying to figure out what he was up to I'm sure.

"Wow, would you two like to be alone?" Sabrina asked the guys sarcastically. "Bells let's leave so Edward and Rylan can take their relationship to the next level."

"Hilarious, Sabrina." Edward said dryly. "I was merely inviting your new friend to come out with us." He smiled at Sabrina who rolled her eyes at Edward.

"Thanks for the invite tonight, Ed, but I have to hit the hay early because I have an early practice tomorrow morning, but I may just meet you guys tomorrow night though if that's cool?"

"Sounds good, man, we'll see you then."

"Let's go Layla. See you guys tomorrow night." Rylan said.

We said goodbye to both Rylan and Layla.

As soon as they left Sabrina turned to Edward. Uh-oh. Here it comes.

"What the hell was that, _Ed_?"

"What? I thought you'd like to go out with him. He seems like a nice guy. Plus, you know he's interested in you since he's asked you out a couple times already. You'll thank me later, Sabrina." Edward seemed smug.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I think _you_ have a man-crush on him. You were totally gushing about his homecoming game _and_ you didn't bother to correct him when he called you Ed. Usually you're all over us about 'my name is Edward'."

That's true. I was giggling over their argument. I tried to intervene. "Can we talk about this on the way? Let's go before Alice has a stroke over us being late."

"A _man-crush?_" Edward sounded incredulous as we were approaching the restaurant.

"Yeah, that's right. I said it."

"Whatever, Sabrina. I was just trying to help you out."

"Did I ask for help, _Ed?"_

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry, I guess it's strictly reserved for Rylan as a pet name for you?"

"For your information, I didn't correct him because I didn't want him to think I'm a freak about my name since we just met."

"Whatever. You _are_ a freak about your name, and you didn't correct him because you have a man-crush on him. You _liked_ it when he called you Ed didn't you? Did it make you feel special? It's okay, Edward. Just admit it. There's nothing wrong with having a man-crush. It just means you want to be friends with him. It's not like you're coming out of the closet or something. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

There was only silence while Edward parked. I personally found this whole argument ridiculously funny, but had to keep from laughing out loud to show my support for Edward. He finally broke though.

"Fine. I admit that it would be cool to be friends with him. Okay? Happy?"

We were walking into the restaurant now. Sabrina and I burst out laughing.

"Exceptionally happy. Thanks for finally fessing up."

I saw Alice wave us over to the table. Jasper, Rose and Emmett were there as well.

"Hi, guys!" Sabrina and I said together. Edward was pouting slightly.

"What's with you, Ed?" Emmett asked.

That did it. Sabrina and I were in hysterics again. We finally had to take some deep breaths and were fanning ourselves with our hands to calm down.

"What's going on?" Alice demanded.

"Nothing." Edward replied. "I just tried to help Sabrina out and she totally turns on me and clearly has taken Bella to the dark side with her."

"Ooo, I want to be on the dark side too," Alice said. "The clothes are always better on the dark side."

What the heck did that even mean? Sometimes Alice said the strangest things.

Just then, the waiter came over and took our drink orders. He was back pretty fast since the others had their drinks already. We then proceeded to order.

"So what's the deal?" Jasper asked.

"Sabrina has a cute football player crushing on her and Edward and I met him tonight. Sabrina says that Edward has a man-crush on Rylan which Edward just admitted to as we were walking in." I filled them in on the basics trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh, and he called Edward _Ed_, and Edward didn't even correct him!" Sabrina added.

"Whaaaat?" Alice and Rose scrunched up their faces in bewilderment.

"Who's the guy?" Emmett asked.

"Rylan Jamison. His sister, Layla, is in my ballet and tap class," Sabrina answered.

"Oh yeah. He's a running back right? He's really good. Really fast." Emmett was sounding excited now.

"He had one hell of a homecoming game last year," Jasper chimed in. Wow. He sounded really interested too. "He ran over a hundred fifty yards and made like three touchdowns. And he was MVP that game."

"Oh my god. Why do you know that?" Alice asked Jasper. "That's so bizarre."

"See, Sabrina. I'm not the only one," Edward pointed out.

"Whoa! You guys sound like little school girls mooning over the big man on campus." Sabrina observed.

"This is slightly frightening," Rose said.

"You guys should get shirts made," Alice joked.

"Yeah, the Official I heart Rylan Fan Club slash man-crush club," I said.

We girls were snickering about it, but the boys were still serious.

"Sabrina, are you dating him?" Emmett asked.

Sabrina shook her head. "No, Emmett, I'm not." His face fell a little.

"But she will be soon. I invited him to the club tomorrow night and he said he'd come." Edward informed the guys.

"Nice!" They all pounded fists. Boys are so weird.

**A/N What do you think? Any good? Is this very bad? I'd like to know. Please review. Next up, Club Luxe where Rylan isn't the only familiar face they'll see. Someone from Edward's past makes her presence known. Then it's off to Forks for a day.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 EPoV

**A/N Again, I own nothing. The Twilight characters belong to Ms. Meyer, as if you didn't know. Big shout out to Phantom-writer3739 for being my lone reviewer. Thanks. You've inspired me to keep writing this insane story. The rest of you, I'm not going to deign myself as to beg for reviews, but let me tell you this: I felt an incredible high from reading Phantom's reviews and it really does make me want to keep writing. So let me know what's up. Like it or not, I want to hear so holla atcha girl. Enjoy…**

**Chapter 8 EPoV**

Despite the ridiculous man-crush teasing we had a fun night. I can't believe I got accused of having a man-crush on Rylan. I think Sabrina was just trying to get the focus off of her own interest in Rylan. She did a good job. We never heard the end of it from the girls. They were really amused as well as alarmed by all of our interest in Rylan. But he seriously is a great running back. Sabrina loves football and sports in general so I know she appreciates a good athlete when she sees one. I think she was just trying to play it cool.

We were grilling her a little bit about Rylan. Apparently they've been chatting it up after Layla's classes. He usually comes to pick her up since their mom is an ER doctor at the hospital and goes to work in the evenings. At first Sabrina thought he was a single dad but he immediately corrected her. They had a good laugh about how they both were seniors in high school when their moms had the second child. How weird is that? I bet it doesn't happen often. So obviously they've found common ground there.

Sabrina does find him attractive. Her exact words were "_he's pretty damn fine_." To which my own girlfriend verified with "_oh, yeah._" I could be annoyed and jealous, but come on. I'm secure enough in my own manhood to admit the guy isn't ugly. Rose and Alice cannot wait to meet him tonight if only to confirm this for themselves. Again, Emmett and Jasper could be jealous as well, but they are just as eager to meet Rylan. I guess we were acting like excited little schoolgirls, but we didn't care.

So there we were at the club. Alice again secured VIP seating for us. Tonight Bella and Rose were designated drivers. I didn't plan on drinking much. The nice thing about going out with our group of friends is that we don't have to get drunk to have a good time. A couple social drinks were enough. Especially since the conversations were colorful enough when we were all completely sober.

Once we sat down Emmett ordered a round of shots. It's now become tradition for the birthday boy or girl to pick the birthday shot. Sabrina opted for tequila on her night out. I chose Hypnotic. The waitress brought the tray of shots for us.

"Ooo, it's such a pretty color blue. Bella, it matches your dress!" Of course Alice would be excited about the vodka matching someone's outfit.

"Great, the one time I can spill the drink on myself and it wouldn't matter would be the night I'm not drinking. Where's the justice?"

"If you want to drink, Bells, I'll opt out. What the hell is this stuff? Looks like a foo-foo shot to me. You're such a pansy, Cullen." Sabrina definitely didn't hold back her disdain for my shot of choice.

"It's vodka, Sabrina. You've done vodka shots before," I pointed out.

"Yeah, normal vodka. The clear stuff. How many smurfs had to die for us to have this round of shots?"

"I swear no violence was involved to obtain these drinks. Especially not the decimation of a smurf village," I assured her.

"I've had this before, Sabrina. You go ahead and drink tonight," Bella told her. "You might like it. It's not bad for being vodka anyways."

"Fine, let's do this pansy shot then get me a real drink please." She lifted her shot glass up. "To Edward. Happy birthday, _Ed_! May you finally meet the man of your dreams!" And she winked at me. I just smirked at her. I wish she'd let it go.

"Cheers!" everyone else yelled.

Just then I noticed Sabrina smile even wider as Rylan made his way over to us. I also noticed that most of the women in the club were staring after him as he passed them to get to our booth. Alice and Rose froze for a second with their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape taking in his form. Bella was giggling as she was also watching their reactions.

"Hi, Rylan!" Sabrina had to yell to be heard over the thumping music.

As soon as he locked eyes with Sabrina he too had an enormous grin on his face. "Hi, Sabrina." He looked to Bella and me. "Hey, Ed, happy birthday. Hi Bella. It's good to see you again."

I cringed a little when he said _Ed _and shook hands with him as Bella said hello back. "It's _Edward. _ And it's good seeing you again. Thanks for coming out." Everyone caught the _pet name _he used and were trying not to laugh out loud.

"Oh sorry, man. Edward, happy birthday." Everyone was laughing at me now leaving Rylan a little confused. "Did I miss something?"

Sabrina shook her head. "I'll tell you later. First let me introduce you to my friends. This is Alice and Jasper. And this is Rosalie and Emmett." The girls waved their hellos while the guys also shook Rylan's hand. "The guys are big fans of yours, Ry. Apparently you're an okay running back?"

"I've been told that a time or two," he nodded still smiling at Sabrina. "So what are you guys having here?"

"It's smurf pee. Want some?" Sabrina asked.

He made a face. "Ooo, as tempting as that is, I think I'll pass. I'm going to order a Jack and Coke. Can I get you something, Sabrina?"

Sabrina got up. "I'm heading to the ladies room real quick. Why don't you surprise me?" She smiled an evil smile, and I knew this was a test for Rylan. She always says you can tell a lot about a person by the drinks they order. Apparently I'm a pansy. I guess it goes with the schoolgirl image. You can also tell what a person thinks of you by what they choose for you. Yep, poor Rylan was walking into a minefield on this one.

Sabrina left to go to the rest room with the other girls. No doubt they were dishing about Rylan. I'm sure Bella will give me the full scoop later, but right now, Rylan needed a little help.

He held a slightly tortured expression after Sabrina turned away from him to head to the ladies room. He looked to me first. "This is a test isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, my man," Emmett confirmed. "Good luck with this one."

"Thanks. So what should I get her?"

"Well, first, tell us if you like Sabrina or not. She's like our little sister so we're just looking out for her, you understand," I said.

He nodded. "I get it. Yeah, I mean we've only talked a few times. I've asked her out before, but you know the outcome, Edward. She seems really cool, and I'd like to get to know her better. Plus, my little sister idolizes her so I've already got her blessing."

We all nodded liking what we were hearing. "Now let me ask you this," Jasper jumped in. "What's your gut tell you about what Sabrina would drink?"

He was thoughtful for a second. "She's straightforward and simple. I mean simple as in not wanting anything fancy I don't mean as in stupid." We nodded again. "So I don't think I'd get some fruity, sweet drink for her or I'd probably be wearing it. Am I right?"

"Whoa! You're good!" Emmett approved of his reasoning. His prediction was right on. I don't think Sabrina would actually throw a drink on him, but she'd make it obvious if he chose incorrectly, and I like this guy so I want him to pass the test.

"I think I've got. I'll be right back." He started to leave for the bar but Emmett and Jasper and I stopped him.

"Don't you want to run it by us first? We want you to pass this test," I told him.

Rylan just smiled. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it, but I'm on this."

The girls still weren't back by the time Rylan came back with the drinks for himself and Sabrina. When we saw what he chose for her we all nodded in agreement.

"Nice work, man. That's perfect for her," Jasper approved.

"Thanks…so has she said anything about me? Do you know if she likes me?" He was genuinely unsure. I felt kind of sorry for him. I think we all know what it feel like to not know if the object your affection returns those feelings.

"Well, it's sometimes hard to tell with Sabrina, but I think she'd like to get to know you better. She's definitely attracted to you though."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Man, I'm used to girls throwing themselves at me and acting all stupid to try to get my attention," he shook his head in disgust. "But not Sabrina. She's so different. She's aloof but not in an ice princess kind of way. Do you know what I mean? She's just…cool. I'm surprised she doesn't already have a boyfriend. What's her story anyway?"

"We could tell you, but it's really not our place, you know? She's special. That's for sure. We're rooting for you though," I assured him.

He nodded his thanks and we proceeded to talk about football until the girls got back. We were all sitting next to our significant others leaving Sabrina and Rylan on the end. He presented her drink to her.

"Tangaray and tonic?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"_With_ a twist of lime," Rylan said smugly.

She pounded her fist with his eliciting a victorious grin from Rylan. "Well done, Mr. Jamison."

"As you like it, Ms. Kingston."

We were all staring at their little exchange with goofy smiles on our faces. They were really cute together. They were in their own little world for a short time before Sabrina looked up to see us all watching them. She rolled her eyes at us. "What?"

Alice was bouncing up and down in her seat, "He passed the drink test! Yea, Rylan!"

We all laughed.

"So it _was_ really a test?" Rylan asked with his eyes narrowed teasingly at her.

"Not really. I'm just collecting data that's all. I mean, Edward ordered the dainty blue shots before and I still like him mostly. So it's not a complete deal breaker."

"That's good to know," Rylan responded.

We then started to talk about random things. And when I say random, I mean random. Someone asked out of nowhere if we were smurfs which smurf would we be.

"Emmett is definitely Hefty Smurf," Sabrina pointed out. "What about Alice?"

"Smurfette!" We all said in unison and we all laughed.

"Okay, Rose?" Alice asked.

"Smurfette," Emmett said.

"No there's only one Smurfette, Emmett," Jasper stated. "How about Vanity Smurf?"

"No, she'd be Handy Smurf because she's so good with cars and engineering in general," Sabrina said.

"Thanks, Sabrina!" Rose gushed as she high-fived Sabrina.

"How about Jasper?" I asked.

We all thought a moment. Alice screamed "Papa Smurf because he's so wise and he's always trying to calm the rest of the smurfs down."

"No," Rose said shaking her head. "He'd be Brainy Smurf because he's always correcting us and we all want to throw him on his head!" Jasper made a face at his sister.

But we nodded in agreement. "Hey, do you know what's so weird? The smurfs use the word _smurf_ to mean various things. Like 'Smurf me a pie, Chef Smurf.' 'Calm the smurf down you smurfing smurfs or I'll smurf you into next smurf!'" Sabrina had us all cracking up and the game was on then.

Emmett looked at Alice and said, "Hey, Smurfette, nice shoes. Wanna smurf?"

"Eww! Emmett! That was completely over the smurf! Smurf it out!" Bella yelled. We were all in hysterics. "Okay, okay. What about Edward?" Bella asked after we calmed down a bit.

"Harmony Smurf," Sabrina offered.

"No, Harmony sucked at the trumpet and Edward is annoyingly good at everything," Bella pointed out. I had to kiss her cheek to thank her for her reasoning. She smiled back at me and blushed.

"Wasn't there a Doctor Smurf then?" Sabrina asked. We weren't sure but nodded anyway. "Leave it to Edward to be the lame smurf." I smirked at her and she smirked back.

"You'd be Snappy Smurf, Sabrina!" I said.

"You hit the smurf right on the smurf there, lame-o smurf!" She replied.

"Hey, what about me?" Bella asked probably feeling left out.

We all stared at her as if it were obvious and said in unison before bursting out in laughter, "Clumsy Smurf!"

Rylan was laughing but also shaking his head at us. "You guys are crazy."

"You just now figured that out? Are you scared of us now?" Sabrina asked smiling.

"Nah, crazy's not too bad if I can be crazy with you guys."

"Yea, good answer!" Alice squealed while clapping her hands.

Then it got quiet at the table and I felt Bella's shoulders stiffen under my arm as Sabrina said ominously, "Speaking of crazy. Hold on to your smurfs because here comes Gargomel."

I cranked my head to see what she was talking about and saw that a familiar figure with long strawberry blond hair was now in my line of vision making her way over to our booth.

Rylan gave Sabrina a puzzled look when she leaned into his ear and told him, "Edward's ex." He nodded his head once in realization.

She was wearing a too tight, too short dress that left nothing to the imagination with too much makeup and too high of heels. She looked like a damn prostitute. Just as all the girls' eyes followed Rylan as he approached our table earlier, all male eyes were ogling Tanya as she sashayed by them. The only difference was that Rylan seemed oblivious to the attention whereas Tanya was all too aware of it and loved every second of it. I can't believe I dated _that _for four years. I was shaking my head at the thought as she stood in front of our booth.

"Hello, Tanya," I said as politely as I could through gritted teeth.

She smiled a big fake saccharin smile taking all of us in. It didn't escape my attention that her eyes narrowed infinitesimally and lingered a little longer on Bella than on the rest of us. "Well if it isn't the old gang. Hello, Edward. Bella. Jasper. Alice. Rose. Emmy. Sabrina. And who's this? Hello, handsome, I'm Tanya." She was looking at Rylan and extended her hand for him to take.

He was slightly taken aback by her gesture holding her hand limply in his not sure what to do with it. "Uh, hello. I'm Rylan," He managed to stutter out. She smiled at Rylan I suppose as a lame attempt to dazzle him. If he hadn't told us earlier about being disgusted by girls throwing themselves at him I would have been a little worried.

"Did you need something, Tanya?" Sabrina asked nonchalantly.

"Well, I just noticed what a good time you guys seemed to be having over here and wanted to see what all the fuss was."

"We're just celebrating my birthday, Tanya," I explained.

"Oh, I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Edward!" I was sitting at the opposite end of the booth from Rylan and Sabrina with one bent leg kind of jutting out from under the table. She noticed this and took it as an opportunity to sit down on my lap. She threw her arms around my neck and pressed her lips against mine so quickly I couldn't stop her. She actually tried to stick her tongue in my mouth. I couldn't believe her. My one arm was still wrapped around Bella's shoulders. I felt Bella stiffen some more if it were possible. She was already rigid. I pulled my head back while pushing Tanya away with my free hand. She finally backed off but was still in my lap.

"What?" She asked innocently at our incredulous expressions. "I just wanted to give Edward his birthday kiss like I do every year." She looked directly at Bella then. "No one can give Edward a birthday kiss quite like I can."

"Tanya, this is unacceptable," I scolded her trying to stay as calm as I could.

"Aww, come on Eddie. I can give you a real birthday present if you want. I know exactly what you like," She said seductively. I was about to respond but someone beat me to it.

"Tanya," Bella said suddenly," Don't do this to yourself. Don't you have any self-worth? You're just disrespecting yourself and all women by acting like this. Leave now with whatever remnants of dignity you have left."

The two stared each other down for what seemed like ten minutes before Tanya looked around at all of us probably coming to her senses and feeling properly embarrassed and finally turning on her heel and leaving without another word uttered. I felt only pity for her, as I'm sure the rest of my friends did.

"Way to go, Bells!" Sabrina yelled once Tanya was out of earshot. Bella blushed as all eyes at the table were on her. "Definitely took the classy route there. I was about to snap on her myself."

"Me too!" both Alice and Rose shouted in unison. We laughed.

"Wow, this had been quite a night. I think I'll call it an evening," Rylan said looking at Sabrina who I think was pouting just a bit. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys. It's been a blast. Let's do this again but maybe without the buzz-killing drama at the end next time?" We all laughed in agreement. "Will you walk me out, Sabrina?"

She smiled. "Of course. I'll be right back guys," she said as she turned to wink at us.

Rylan grabbed her hand as he led her towards the exit.

"Aww, how cute are they?" Alice sighed. "Young love!"

"Alice they're the same age as us," Jasper pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed at Jasper, "Smurf up. You smurf what I mean!"

And here we go again.

Soon Sabrina was back with a huge smile on her face. "What'd I miss?"

"Who cares what you missed. Dish!" Alice screamed.

Sabrina made a face. "I just walked him out and said goodbye…"

"And…"

"And nothing. He asked what I was doing tomorrow. He seemed a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to be in town, but he's going to call while we're in Forks."

"Why didn't you invite him to come home with us?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, Emmett. That would have gone over well. We haven't even been on an official date yet and I ask him to come meet my parents. If that doesn't say psycho I don't know what does. He'll be running for the hills screaming. Why don't I just tell him that we're a big coven of vampires but not to worry because we don't feed on human blood. It'll yield the same outcome: 'see yaaaaa!'"

Emmett was shaking his head, "_Coven of vampires!_ Where do you come up with this stuff, Sabrina?"

"Anyway, I'm ready to call it a night myself. Anyone else?" Sabrina looked around the table.

Bella and I started to get up. "We're ready too," I said.

"Cool. Can you wait until tomorrow to get your present, Edward? I think you'll like what I got you though it probably isn't as…exciting as what Tanya was going to bestow on you. Nothing says I love you like a case of birthday Gonorrhea." Sabrina jibed.

"Yeah," Bella chimed in. "It's the gift that keeps on giving!"

"Eww, you guys are so wrong!" Alice laughed. "Funny, but still wrong!"

**A/N Sorry for all the smurf stuff. I thought it was funny. If you don't know about smurfs, google it. Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I don't own Twilight. But then you already knew that. Okay, three snaps in Z-formation to Phantom-writer3739 and Spritegirl24 for reviewing the smurf chapter. Thanks! I also wanted to clarify a little something. I know I make Sabrina a little snotty towards Edward, but it's only to underscore their brother-sister like relationship. All the teasing is out of love. If you've read my little bio page you know I am strictly Team Edward as most of you probably are. I thought it'd be fun to write about a girl not directly related to Edward that doesn't swoon over him. Hard to believe, but there may be one or two out there. It keeps him humble, no? In my personal universe, however, Edward Cullen is definitely swoon-worthy (sigh). This is a super long chapter. Stick with me here. I didn't have the heart to break it up. Actually, I didn't know where to break it up. Now, onto Forks, faithful readers.**

**Chapter 9-Sabrina PoV**

Well that was a strange night to say the least. It was very cool of Rylan to come out and meet us. I'm pretty sure he had a good time. I know I did. Overall anyways. The stunt Tanya pulled was definitely a buzz-killer. And they tell me I'm bold. Never in a million years would I do something as scandalous as that. It's sad really that she thinks that's how she needs to act to attract guys. Well, she does attract guys, but just not quality guys. What am I doing? Why am I even wasting my time and brainpower thinking about Tanya. Moving on…

The girls were so funny last night. In the ladies room Alice and Rose couldn't stop going on about how fine Rylan is. What can I say? He is.

"Sabrina you weren't kidding. He's gorgeous!" Rose gushed.

"That's what I told you guys," Bells giggled. "Why would we kid about that?"

"If I were a guy I'd definitely have a man-crush on him too even if I haven't seen him play football," Alice declared.

We all nodded in consensus.

"But you guys, he's really nice too. I don't like him solely because he's fine."

Rose wanted some elaboration. "Oh yes? Do tell, Sabrina."

"He's really sweet with his sister. And he's a bit of a mama's boy, but that only shows that he knows how to treat women."

The girls were nodding in agreement again. "Also, he's smart—he's pre-law—and he's funny. He laughs at my lame jokes—you gotta love that. And…he's _FINE_!"

We all giggled. Now it was my turn to be a little schoolgirl.

"And he likes you too, Sabrina. We saw they way his face lit up when he laid his eyes on you," Rose sighed. "Love is in the air!"

"Whatever Rose. It's not even like that…yet."

"You're going to tell us with a straight face that you're not in love with him, Sabrina?" Alice pressed.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." They looked at me skeptically. I raised my chin ever so slightly with my jaw set. "I'm not in love," I said sternly with them just staring at me through narrowed eyes. Finally I broke into a smile, "_But_ I am in very strong _like_ with him, okay?" We all burst out laughing.

Yes, _very strong like_ fits what I am feeling for Rylan right now. I couldn't possibly be in love with him yet. We haven't even been on a real date. It was just unlucky that the times he asked me out were times that I was actually busy. Maybe I'll have to ask him out myself. One of these times our busy schedules should jive.

It was very comforting that all my friends liked Rylan. I definitely know how uncomfortable it is when one of your friends is dating someone you don't like—I'm looking at you, Edward Cullen. Anyway, when we got back to the table the guys were huddled up talking football and getting along great. How cool was it that he got the perfect drink for me?

"Earth to Sabrina! We're home!" I heard Edward bellowing.

"That's a pretty big grin on your face, Sabrina. I wonder who you were thinking about," Bella teased.

"I was actually thinking about how this year Edward won't outdo me on a birthday for Maisy," I tried to sound convincing to cover up the fact that I was indeed thinking about a certain running back. Hmm, I wonder what he looks like in his tight football pants…

"Ha, Sabrina. You'll never out-Edward Edward," Edward scoffed.

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"It means I, as her birthday buddy, will always be better attuned to what she'd like for her birthday than you or anyone else."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, our birthdays are only a couple weeks apart so I'm practically a birthday buddy myself. Plus, she's my sister. There's no way you're more attuned to her than I am. I have chromosomes _and_ estrogen on my side."

We were then inside the Cullen home. We were going to have a birthday brunch for Edward and then go to my parents' house afterwards for a small party for Maisy. She invited a handful of her preschool friends over.

Maisy and my parents were already there. As was Bella's dad, Charlie. Esme and Carlisle greeted us first. We were hugging everyone hello and wishing Maisy and Edward happy birthday when Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper arrived.

Brunch was lovely as we all chit chatted about how the summer was going. But then apropos of nothing Emmett announces, "So, Sabrina has a new love interest." And immediately all eyes were on me.

I glared at him as he was smiling back from across the table as were the rest of my so-called friends. "What the hell, Em?"

"Sabrina, language," my mother scolded.

"Sorry, I mean, what the smurf, Em?" my mom then smiled and my friends laughed as I'm sure the memory of last night's discussion came back.

"So tell us about him, Sabrina," my mother was definitely curious. I've never had a serious boyfriend so I'm sure her interest was piqued. My parents were high school sweethearts and so were my friends mostly so I sometimes felt they thought there was something defective about me since I hadn't met _the one_ yet. I don't really worry about it. I mean, I'm still young and what are the chances that _all of us_ were to find our soul mates in Forks? Pretty slim I'd say.

"It's nothing. It's not even…" I can't believe I was getting flustered. "We're just friends at this point. Besides, I think the guys have a bigger crush on him than I do right now." That was not true but I thought I'd try to get the spotlight off of me.

Our parents all looked confused so I explained. "His name is Rylan Jamison and he plays football for our school. The boys are gaga over his football skills."

"And he's so cute!" Alice threw in for good measure as Bella and Rose nodded. I rolled my eyes. My mom and Esme were beaming.

My dad perked up. "Isn't he the running back that had a tremendous homecoming game last year against Oregon?" I nodded.

"That was quite an upset," Carlisle recollected.

Charlie also jumped in, "He ran for three touchdowns and over a hundred fifty yards!"

Oh my god why do they know this?

"Oh my god, why do you know this?" The men were all kinds of excited now.

"If he has another season like the last one he may be drafted in the first round!" My dad was definitely amped. "Why didn't you invite him over?"

My friends were all laughing and I was mortified. "Seriously? You guys are unbelievable! We haven't even been out on a date yet," I pointed out.

"But you will soon right?" My dad was all eager. I was shocked to put it mildly. What ever happened to being an overprotective dad? It seems all the men in my life were pushing for this relationship as much as I was hoping for something to happen. I _guess_ it was all right. Strange but all right.

"Wow, Dad, do you want to go out on a date with him yourself? Looks like we have three more members of the _I heart Rylan club_. Alice, get more shirts made!" Everyone was laughing now. This is too weird. "You are grown men mooning over a football player. Man up! Can we talk about something else please?"

Finally the subject was dropped and we headed to the living room to give Edward his presents. Charlie had to leave to go to work. Crime doesn't take any time off you know. He wished Maisy and Edward happy birthday again and hugged Bells goodbye. He would never say anything, but I think he's really pleased that Edward and Bella finally got together, as were the rest of the family. Esme was simply beside herself with joy. I think she's had a place in her heart for Bella all along. I saw Esme whisper something to Bella and Bella flushed red. I'm sure it was something to the effect of hoping to have Bells as a daughter-in-law. It made me smile. I'm glad my friends are so happy together.

So Edward got a wide range of presents from concert tickets to iTunes gift cards. Maisy gave him a picture of them together. She even decorated the frame herself and wrote "Birthday Buddies" on it in her cute little kid scrawl. He loved it. Then it was time for him to open my present. It was a DVD. As he unwrapped it a huge grin appeared on his face as he held it up to show everyone.

"It's Season One of the Smurfs!" We all burst out laughing.

"Aww yeah!" Emmett yelled as he held up his hands in anticipation of Edward's toss. We watched the DVD for an hour or so until it was time to head over to my house.

Later at my house Emmett made another random announcement. "If I weren't Hefty Smurf I think I'd be Jokey Smurf." We all just stared at him. There was a magic show going on and he tells us this? "You know, because I like to play jokes?"

"Really Emmett? Thanks for clarifying that for us because we wouldn't have been able to figure it out otherwise," I said sarcastically.

"Don't be bitter, Snappy, just because I brought up _lover boy_." He moved his eyebrows up and down. Rose slapped the back of his head and I threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up, Emmett. Magic Mike is almost done!" I snapped again. We were trying to watch the magic show. It was actually for Maisy and her little friends, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Finally the show was done and Magic Mike was making balloon animals for the kids.

We lit the birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Maisy. I was helping my mom in the kitchen with drinks as Esme was cutting and distributing the cake.

My mom made up bottles of flavored water for the kids. She had a few already made up in the fridge marked with "M" especially for Maisy. Apparently my poor little sister has been having a hard time going number two so my mom has been making pink lemonade with a stool softener and laxative in it. Mental note: do not drink from those bottles. My body was working just fine thank you very much and I didn't want to be held up in the bathroom all day and night. I mean, I have stuff to do.

Earlier, my mom told us not to drink from those bottles earlier, but I went back over to remind them about the bottles marked M anyway when I noticed Emmett taking the last gulp of a bottle of pink lemonade and wouldn't you know it, it was marked!

I was horrified. "Emmett, nooo! What are you doing?"

"What?"

"We told you not to drink from the M bottles. What are you doing?"

"I thought it was marked M for me, Big Em."

"What are you talking about? It's marked capital M for Maisy. Your name is E-M!" I was shaking my head is disbelief.

"Maybe he thought the M was for moron," Jasper hypothesized.

"Not helpful, Jazz," I said sounding exasperated.

"Relax, Snappy. Don't get your Victoria's Secrets in a bunch. It's only lemonade, what can happen?"

"Eww!" I made a face. "First, don't speak of my underwear ever again. And B, I guess we'll see what happens in a half hour to an hour. Edward, note the time."

They all looked confused. I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. "Geez, Emmett, the four year olds can follow directions why can't you? It's marked for _Maisy_ only. There's a laxative and stool softener in it!" I was in hysterics. I'm not sure it even came out clearly. Apparently I was articulate enough for everyone to understand because Emmett's eyes grew big as saucers as everyone else was doubled over in laughter.

"Aww crap!" Emmett complained.

"Exactly!" I replied wiping my tears.

My mom and Esme came over to see what all commotion was. I pointed to the empty M bottle that was still in Emmett's grasp.

Esme and my mom's eyes mimicked Emmett's. Then they pressed their lips together trying not to crack up. "Sabrina, kids, this is not funny!" My mom actually sounded like she believed it wasn't funny. Oh, but it was!

"I know, right?" Emmett agreed.

We all tried pressing our lips together as well trying to hold back our laughter. It worked for like three seconds then someone broke causing the rest of us including Mom and Esme to laugh. Emmett was the only one not laughing.

My mom was the first to finally compose herself. "Emmett, dear…I don't know what to say. You remember where the bathroom is don't you?" We laughed some more. Honestly, what could you say at this point?

We finally calmed down and soon Maisy was opening presents. She got the usual toys and dolls from her friends. Edward handed his present to her. He was very smug about it. He looked right at me and I shook my head. No way he was stealing my thunder this year.

Maisy opened it. It was a little seated scooter where she puts her feet up and steers by swaying the handlebars to make it move. "It's nicknamed the flying turtle," he informed her. She loved it.

"Thanks, Edward! You're my favorite boy." He was beaming and looking very proud of himself. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, you told me I was your favorite boy, Maisy," Emmett complained feigning hurt.

"Well," Maisy thought a second, "I meant you're number two."

And with that we all lost it again as Emmett made a face at her very accurate assertion. That couldn't have come out better if I had told her what to say. He then clutched his belly and sauntered off in the direction of the bathroom. Aww, I kind of felt bad for him. Just a little. I have to believe it was karma working after he got me all flustered at brunch.

"It's okay, Em. Think of it as a detoxification," I said to him as he passed by me scowling.

Then I gave Maisy my present. Her eyes got big as she took the top off of the box. I didn't bother to wrap it. I had to make breathing holes for the little guy.

"A turtle! A real turtle!" she squealed. I laughed at her reaction.

Everyone scooted in closer to get a better view. "It's a Western box turtle, Maisy. His name is Jasper. Jasper Hale," I told her.

"Jasper Hale?" Maisy and Jasper both asked.

"Yes, because he's so chill," I smiled at them.

Maisy jumped up on my lap to hug me. "Thanks, Sabrina, I love Jasper!"

Jasper number one smiled really big upon hearing Maisy say she loves Jasper. Alice nudged him, "The turtle, Jazz. She loves Jasper Hale the turtle."

"Whatever, it's still nice to hear."

"What's he eating?" Maisy asked. I smiled again.

"Jasper Hale is eating kale!"

She loved the rhyme, as did the rest of her friends. They were repeating it over and over. Soon they forgot about all the other presents and were preoccupied with watching Jasper Hale the turtle move infinitesimally.

"What else does he eat?" one of the other kids asked.

"Well," I answered, "he likes crickets, meal worms, broccoli, and berries. Don't give him iceberg lettuce though because there's no nutritional value in it and it harbors bacteria so he could end up with the same problem as Emmett right now. They all nodded knowingly.

Soon, Edward, Bella and I were heading back to Seattle. It was a long day. Rylan and I had been texting all afternoon. I told him I'd call when I got back to town.

Edward congratulated me on out-Edwarding him. "It's not really a competition, Edward, but if you want to look at it that way then yes, I out-Edwarded you. You know she loves you though."

He nodded, "Yeah, that's true. And at least I'm her favorite boy. And Emmett's number two," he blurted out with a laugh.

"Poor Em. He's an idiot, but no one deserves what he's going through right now. I wonder if they've even left yet." I was shaking my head. He was in for quite a night.

It was nearly nine o'clock when we got back to the apartment. I texted Rylan again to let him know we just arrived. We were all beat. Edward and Bella disappeared into their room and I went to mine as I was dialing Rylan's number. He picked up right away.

"Hey, you, how was your trip home?" he asked.

"Fantastic. We had the best time. Well, most of us anyway. Emmett is, um, detoxing," I said with a chuckle. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for your call."

"Oh, I'm sorry I made you wait. Were you bored?"

"No not really. So are you very tired right now?" he asked.

"Um, not really. Why?"

"Want to go for a walk?"

Rylan was over in a matter of ten minutes and we were out the door. I texted Bella to let her know I was out with Rylan so she wouldn't worry. I would have told her personally, but I didn't want to bother her and Edward.

It was a clear night and the stars were stunning. We walked hand in hand in silence until we got to a park bench on campus and sat down. It was weird. I actually felt butterflies in my stomach. I wonder if he was feeling as nervous as I felt. This was silly.

"So tell me about your day. Why was it so fantastic?" He asked.

I proceeded to recount the events of the day purposely leaving out my mortification at brunch. He was nearly in tears after hearing about what Emmett did or is currently doing.

"So how was your day?" I asked him.

"I went running this morning and later Layla and I went to the zoo. Then a quiet evening at home with the fam."

"It's so sweet that you and Layla are so close."

"Yeah, you and Maisy sound pretty tight too."

"We are. My whole family is close. That includes Bella's dad Charlie and Alice, Edward and Emmett's parents as well. Oh, I forgot to tell you. At brunch, Emmett brought you up to everyone. He got me all flustered, but the good news is there are more members of the _I heart Rylan Club," _I laughed.

"What do you mean?" He sounded puzzled.

"Oh, all the men in my life are now obsessed with you. The guys, and all of our dads. They even know stats about you. It's insane."

"Wow, sounds like I do have a fan club. But are you a member, Sabrina?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm the founder and a charter member," I admitted looking into his beautiful hazel eyes.

"That's good to hear," he said with a smile in his voice. He sounded relieved. "I'm a big fan of yours too."

"Yeah?" I asked with a smile in my voice as well. We sat looking at each other for a moment before I got up pulling him up with me. His eyes were so intense I had to look away. "Come star gaze with me."

We stood up from the bench only to lie down side by side in the grass. We were quiet again until I broke the silence. "Something on your mind, Ry?" I asked squeezing his hand.

He squeezed mine in return. "I was just wondering. How come you don't have a boyfriend?" That's a weird question.

"What do you mean? I've got guy friends. There's Edward, Jasper and Em-"

"No, I mean, how come you're single?"

"Oh," I answered sadly as a thought hit me, "Are you asking what's wrong with me that I'm still single?" God, where do I begin?

"No. Oh god. That's not what I meant at all. Geez, I suck at this. I mean, how come someone as wonderful as you are is still single?"

"Oh," that was nice. "Well, I guess because I haven't met the right person yet. And I've never had a serious boyfriend. I've crushed pretty hard, but it didn't work out." I thought about Wes. "How about yourself?"

"First you tell me about him," he replied.

So I got into the gory details of my unrequited love affair with Wes ending with the scene at the club on the night of my twenty-first birthday. He was cursing Wes calling him an idiot for not returning my feelings.

"Well, to be fair, he never knew about my feelings so I got what I deserved."

"No, no one deserves to have their heart torn out like that. He's just a dumb guy. He's by no means a microcosm for our species by the way."

I had to laugh. "Good," I said with finality. "Now it's your turn."

Rylan told me about the one serious girlfriend he had up until Valentine's Day. "Gwen broke up with you on Valentine's Day?" I asked incredulously. "That's so cold." They had been dating for six months when she finally broke it off. He was very much in love with her and it must have scared her. That was the only explanation she gave him for breaking up. He hasn't dated since.

"Aren't we a sad pair?" I asked shaking my head. Two broken hearts. I felt pathetic.

"Actually," he mused, "I think we make a great pair together."

I smiled. "That's what my friends think too."

"And what do _you_ think, Sabrina?" he turned on his side to look at me. His voice was serious.

I took a deep breath before I answered. "I think we'd be pretty good together. My friends and family are already in love with you. If you're half as great as they say, I don't see how this could possibly be wrong," I said watching his eyes light up. "So, let's try it."

"Um, just to be clear, what are we trying exactly?" He sounded a little unsure.

I smiled at his hesitation. "I guess we're going to try dating?" He was still staring at me. "Each other." Still, I was met with a blank stare. I was confused by his confusion. "On the regular?"

Slowly, a smile formed on his luscious lips as realization of what I said sunk in. I smiled back at him. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just this," he replied in a husky whisper as he leaned in towards me pressing his warm lips to mine.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Steph Meyer is the genius behind Twilight. I'm the scrub behind this silly story. So again, snaps to all who have been reading but three snaps in Z-formation...and oh why not add a circle too (I'm feeling generous) for Spritegirl and Phantom for taking the time to review. So what did we learn from the last chapter? That's right, don't get Sabrina flustered. Poor Emmett. Anyhoo, this chapter is short (the Declaration of Independence would be short compared to the Forks Chapter). Kind of filler kind of not. You decide.**

**Chapter 10-Sabrina PoV**

The next morning I was still basking in the afterglow of our first kiss. I couldn't stop grinning. I seriously tried to not grin and I physically couldn't do it. Talk about pathetic. I was awake long before my alarm was due to go off. I was already keyed up. It didn't take me long to throw on my running shoes and iPod. When I got down to the front of my building to begin the run, I was pleasantly surprised by a very chipper Rylan dressed in sweatpants, a t-shirt and, of course, running shoes.

"Hey, funny meeting you here, Ms. Kingston. You look lovely this morning," he grinned at me with his wavy black hair in disarray, and was that a twinkle I detected in his hazel eyes?

Normally, I would have rolled my eyes, but I was too stinking happy about seeing him again so soon. "Thanks," I managed to articulate. I shook my head in an attempt to regain some coherency. What was this man doing to me? Get it together, Sabrina! "So you feel like joining me this morning I see."

"This morning and any other morning you fancy a run."

"How will you know if I fancy a run? I could change my mind at the last minute and lay in bed instead," I challenged.

"Where I can join you as well," he winked.

This time I did roll my eyes and I swatted his arm. "So forward for seven in the morning," I shook my head at him. "Come on. Try to keep up." I took off sprinting for half a block leaving him in the dust, but slowed to my normal pace once Rylan caught up.

"That was hardly fair," he said breathlessly once he was next to me.

"Hey, I have to take the advantage when I can. It's not like my route will be much of a challenge for you."

"How far are we running?"

"Depends. Are you up for the three mile loop or the five?"

"I'm down for whatever," he answered. Yes, there was a definite twinkle in his eyes that time.

We didn't speak again until after we ran my three-mile route. Even then we talked about anything but last night. I was beginning to question if last night happened at all. We were walking the last block to my apartment. Thus far, neither of us had attempted any personal contact other than occasionally and accidentally brushing arms when we were running. We didn't even hold hands. There seemed to be some kind of invisible force separating the two of us. I was feeling the butterflies again. It was all so very strange.

I asked Rylan if he wanted to come up for some breakfast, and he accepted. Bella and Edward were already up and making pancakes when we came through the door.

"Mmm. Smells good, guys," I commented upon entry.

"Hey, Sabrina," Bells yelled from the kitchen. "We'll be right out." She and Edward were bringing plates of food from the kitchen. Bella stopped abruptly as she was walking out with one plateful while Edward avoided nearly bumping into her since she stopped short staring at the unexpected guest. Thank goodness Edward isn't clumsy or else his girlfriend would have been wearing pancakes and syrup on her back. "Oh, hello, Rylan," Bella sang. "This is a surprise." She was grinning at me. I winked back at her.

"Good morning, Bella. Edward," Rylan greeted them.

"Hey, Rylan. We weren't expecting you. Let me go make another plate," Edward smiled and left for the kitchen after placing the plates he was currently holding on the table. He was back in a flash with a plate for Rylan. We immediately sat down to eat.

"Thanks, Edward. This is really good after a long run," Rylan remarked.

"You're welcome, but Bella did all the work. I just brought out the finished product." Bella smiled at Edward. They looked so in love. I had to smile myself.

"Well then thanks, Bella. You're a great chef."

"You're welcome. It's a good thing you came by. We always make too much. So what are you two up to today?"

Rylan looked at me. "Do we have plans today?"

I shrugged. "Well, I don't know if you do, but I start teaching tennis clinics for the park district today. They're going to be Mondays and Wednesdays eleven to one then I have a tap class to teach at four."

"So I guess I'll be seeing you at five when I pick Layla up?"

"Sure," I nodded. "Do you want to do something after you take Layla to your aunt's?" I asked with as much nonchalance as I could muster though I was still feeling that tension between us again.

"Yeah, sounds good." It seemed Rylan was also straining to sound normal.

As we were discussing our plans I could see Bella and Edward moving their heads back and forth from Rylan to me as if they were watching a tennis match. Geez, it was like they've never heard two people hammer out details of a date before. I wondered if they could feel the tension between Rylan and myself. Once we were done discussing, Rylan and I started clearing our plates. Edward and Bella took their own back to the kitchen. Edward insisted we just leave the dishes for him and Bella to do.

"So do I get a tour of the apartment, Sabrina?" Rylan asked.

"Sure. I'll give you the dime tour." There really wasn't much to our place. I showed him the living room. He'd seen the dining area and kitchen already. I pointed out Bella's room and bathroom as we were walking down the hall. Then we stopped in front of my room. "And this is me," I said as I opened the door. "Wow, I actually made my bed already today. Usually I just jump out of bed and throw my running gear on before I have the chance to get lazy and change my mind about running."

I had walked in with Rylan trailing right behind me not saying a word as I was still babbling about something I can't even remember. I heard the door close and I turned around. His eyes seemed to smolder as he was staring at me. "So that's it for the tour. Not much interesting here," I smiled at him trying to not to show how self-conscious I actually felt as he was walking towards me.

"You're wrong," he said quietly as he stood directly in front of me. His eyes still boring into mine. I swallowed not sure what to expect. Slowly, he reached his hand up to stroke his forefinger along my jaw line from my ear to my chin and back again.

I closed my eyes relishing in his soft touch unconsciously leaning towards him closing the small distance between us. "I'm wrong?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"There's something very interesting here," he explained. I could feel his warm breath on my skin. My eyes fluttered open only to see just how close his face was to mine. Rylan's eyes looked to be full of heat and longing as he bent his head down to kiss first my forehead, then temple, then cheek before resting his lips on mine again.

I stood up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck in an effort to get our mouths even closer as if it were possible. Unlike the chaste kiss from last night, this kiss was filled with something I've never felt before. At least not this intensely. Was it lust? Whatever it was, Rylan must have felt it too as neither of us was willing to break our connection. Then it occurred to me what that invisible wall was between us. It was sexual tension.

I needed to come up for some air so I reluctantly had to push his chest a little in order to break the kiss. Rylan groaned but grudgingly obliged. I giggled a little then suddenly felt my knees go weak as I collapsed sitting on my bed. "Wow," was all I could say. Rylan sat down next to me. His breathing was ragged.

"Ditto that."

We sat silently a moment before I finally turned to him. "So last night actually happened right?"

He nodded. "I'm almost positive it did, though part of me feels like I dreamt the whole thing up."

I tilted my head and smiled. "What?" he asked smiling back at me.

"I feel the same way. Like my mind may have separated from reality. If it is a dream," I mused, "I don't want to wake up yet. This feels too good."

"If this _is_ a dream," Rylan countered, "I don't want to wake up at all."

"Hmm," my eyebrows knitted together. "How do we determine if this is reality or a mere illusion?"

Just then my phone beeped signaling an incoming text. I grabbed it off of the nightstand. "It's Bella. She and Edward went out for a walk." I put the phone down taking a moment to think something over. "Well, then, that proves that this is real."

"How so?" Rylan asked.

"Well, if this were a dream, I wouldn't be receiving a text message."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because, dreams are a manifestation of your deepest desires."

"Yes. _And_?"

"_And_ I don't desire to receive a text message from my roommate especially about something as mundane as taking a walk with her boyfriend. Thus, we are not currently dreaming." I smiled smugly as I reached my conclusion.

"That reasoning makes absolutely no sense, but I like your deduction anyways."

"Thank you. It's all about knowing what answer it is that you want and then creating the reasoning to fit said answer after the fact. It's a little something I like to call _crazy_. You should try it. It's all the rage."

I stretched and yawned and then sprawled out on my bed. I closed my eyes thinking I could really use a nap. I felt the bed sink a little. I opened my eyes again to find Rylan's body so close to my own. I smiled at him as we scooted even closer to each other. I was breathing in his scent when another thought occurred to me causing me to jump up startling Rylan.

"What? What is it?" he sounded concerned. "Are you okay, Sabrina?" He got up too.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not okay." I was mortified actually. I was backing away from him.

"Tell me what's wrong."

I was looking right into his beautiful eyes that were wide and filled with apprehension.

"Oh my god. I must stink right now." I made a face. "Look at me, I'm all sweaty and gross."

My bedroom immediately filled with Rylan's laughter as he realized what my distress was all about. "You are absolutely fine," he chuckled shaking his head. "Geez, I thought you were hurt or you changed your mind about us or something. Don't scare me like that again."

I was repentant. "Sorry, to scare you. It's just…you really don't mind me being all stinky?" He shook his head. "You must really think I'm crazy now, huh?"

Rylan nodded his head while simultaneously verbalizing, "No." I gave him a playful shove though he barely moved an centimeter. He grinned and leaned in for another quick kiss.

"Thanks," I said, "but now you have to go." I was serious.

"Why are you kicking me out?"

"Because, I have to shower and get ready for work. And you have to go home and shower as well so you can meet me after tennis and take me to lunch." I had walked backwards pulling him with me and now stood with my back to the door as I explained why he had to leave.

"Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that?" He hit the palm of his hand on his forehead. "But before I go, can I have one more kiss please?" He tilted his head giving me puppy dog eyes reminiscent of a certain A. Cullen. How could I resist?

"Well…since you asked so politely. Sure," I pretended to sound disinterested but gasped as he leaned against the door with his hands on either side of my head and pressed his mouth against mine for a kiss that was anything but polite.

So Rylan finally left and I was able to get ready for tennis. By the time I was ready to go Bella had returned from her walk. She forced me dish and she squealed and clapped and bounced around doing a dead on impersonation of Alice as I spoke. I couldn't give her many details as I was pressed for time, but I hit the high points including Rylan's and my decision to date exclusively, our first kiss last night and the release of some pent up sexual tension at the end of the apartment tour.

"I knew it! I knew it! You two are so far gone already!" She threw her arms around my shoulders to hug me. "I'm so happy for you, Sabrina." She was bouncing again.

I had to laugh. "Thanks. I'm happy for me too, but I've got to go or I'll be late. Please don't injure yourself doing whatever celebratory dance you plan on doing after I leave, and I'll see you later. Okay?"

I still had a silly grin on face as I arrived to the tennis courts. Luckily, the park district was using the college courts so I didn't have far to walk. There seemed to be a lot of kids that came for this clinic. I was told I'd have no more than ten kids, but it looked like at least double that number who showed up. Crap, I hoped there was someone else in the program to assist me. I was surveying the group of kids, some of whom were already hitting groundstrokes to warm up when I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard an all too familiar voice greeting me.

"Hello, Sabrina. Guess it looks like we'll be running this clinic together this summer."

I froze for just a split second before turning around, praying that my ears were playing tricks on me and that the voice I heard didn't really belong to…

"Wes! Long time no see."

**A/N Uh-oh. Who's worried? Review please.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Again, I own nothing. Steph Meyer own's a ton. Well, I guess I do own Sabrina, Rylan and Wes. Anyhoo, this is the longest chapter to date. I wouldn't say it's the best, but it's necessary for future chapters. Thanks to my two reviewers: Spritegirl and Phantom-writer. Who else wants to join that club? It's all the rage! At least think about it. Enjoy...**

**Chapter 11- Sabrina PoV**

Did I just hope for someone to assist me during this tennis clinic? Why now would what I hope for actually come to true? Why didn't I hope for million dollars instead? Well, it's not like I could avoid seeing Wes forever. This is a large school but not that large. We knew some of the same people. This was inevitable. Suck it up, Sabrina.

As I turned around to look Wes fully in the face I noticed that something was a little off. I did a quick assessment. No, he looked pretty much the same. His baseball cap was on backwards. He had the same big brown eyes, but there was something different in them. He looked…tired.

But there was something different about me as well. I still felt the pang of regret in my heart that I usually felt when I would looked at him, but it was less pronounced this time. I could actually look at him now without having to stifle the heavy feeling in my heart. I could actually breathe around him. I didn't want to overanalyze it, but in my unprofessional opinion, I'd say I was getting over Wes. Alert the media!

"This is quite a turnout for a little tennis lesson isn't it?" I asked him. "You're assisting me right?"

"Actually, I was under the impression that _you'd_ be assisting _me_," he corrected.

"I think you've been misinformed, my friend." I pulled a folded piece of paper out from the pocket of my tennis racket cover and read it to him, " 'Lead teacher: Sabrina Kingston. Assignment: UW Courts Mondays and Wednesdays.'" I looked at Wes who was also unfolding his paper and reading it aloud to me. I made a face as it said the same thing. He was a lead teacher as well.

"Well," I thought out loud, "What if we split the class in half? We can each take five girls and five boys and use three courts each?"

"Sounds good," he nodded. "Hey, we could even hold a tournament at the end of the five weeks. Let's see whose students do the best. It'll be like a battle of the coaches!" He was extremely excited about his idea.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do boys have to make everything a competition?" I mumbled. Though to be honest I could envision my students crushing his. "Alright, but we have to try to have an equal balance of strong and weak players. No stacking your team, Wes."

"I wouldn't think of it," he smiled a smile that would have turned my brain to mush at one time, but not today. He held out his hand and I shook it to consummate the deal.

We informed the kids of the plans for the clinic. They seemed to be excited about the tournament. It'll be good practice for them. Then we ran a few drills just to get a look at the kids' skill levels in order to split them up equally. Once we had two teams we flipped a coin to see who'd coach which team. I then took my team to the far courts and began my tennis clinic. They weren't bad overall. I know I should say that all that matters is that we have fun these five weeks, but I so wanted one of my kids to win the tournament. Game on.

I finished up my lesson without even bothering to watch what Wes was doing with his team. The kids were leaving and I was picking up the last of the stray tennis balls when Wes came over to see if I needed help.

"Thanks, I've got it, but can you take the ball hoppers? I walked here today."

"Sure let's just throw them in the back of my car. Do you want a lift home?"

"No thanks. My buh…" I had to catch myself there. "My friend is meeting me here and we're going to lunch," I replied. Oh my god, was I about to say _boyfriend_? Wes was looking at me kind of funny. Like he was trying to figure something out.

"Is your friend that guy over there who's been staring at you for the past twenty minutes?"

I turned my head in the direction he was gesturing and noticed a glorious looking Rylan leaning against a tree on the other end of the courts. My mouth automatically formed a smile as we made eye contact and waved to each other. "Yep, that's him."

"Huh," was all I heard out of Wes as I left him standing there.

I dropped the ball hopper and walked over to where Rylan was, still smiling as I approached him. "Hi there. Have you been here a while? Why didn't you come on my side of the courts to say hello?"

"I wanted to see you in action without distracting you."

"You wouldn't have distracted me," I lied.

"No? Then why did you drop the ball holder thing spilling all the tennis balls back out onto the courts?" He asked smirking at me.

I turned around, and sure enough the tennis balls were everywhere. Wes was picking them up. "Oops, you better go help him," I said.

"Why should _I_ help? You're the one that made the mess."

"Yes, but it was _your fault_ that I made the mess, therefore, you pick up."

Rylan was shaking his head at me. "Your logic is so convoluted. You really have a knack for making the illogical perfectly logical. Ever think about pre-law? I bet you'd be a hell of a defense attorney."

"Quit trying to get out of this." I took his hand dragging him back to the courts with me. "Sorry Wes, we can clean this up." I felt Rylan's hand go rigid in mine at the sound of me saying Wes' name.

"That's okay. I've got it. The hopper is going in my car anyway. You guys go ahead on your little lunch date." There was an edge of annoyance in his tone. I didn't like it, but I didn't want to push it either. I had to work beside him, sort of, for the next five weeks after all.

"If you say so," I responded with slight petulance in my tone. "I'll see you Wednesday then," I said as Rylan and I were turning to leave.

"Wait," Wes called after us. We turned back around. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, sure," I was hesitant. "Wes this is Rylan. Rylan, this is Wes." The guys grunted their hellos and shook hands. I noticed that they didn't let go right away. Probably they were having a silent tough man contest seeing who could crush whose hand first. I had to intervene. "Ready, Ry?"

"Yep," he answered curtly. I didn't like _his_ tone either. Why were these boys getting on my nerves today? Maybe my blood sugar was dropping making me extra irritable.

"See you later, Wes," I said. Rylan and I were still holding hands as we walked away. At least his hand was more relaxed now. "Well, that wasn't at all awkward," I remarked sarcastically once we were out of Wes' vicinity.

"I don't know what you mean. I was perfectly at ease."

"Yeah right. Look, I didn't know he'd be teaching with me until today. It was a total shocker seeing him." Rylan was looking at me in the same manner Wes was, like he was trying to figure something out. "What? You don't believe me?" I wanted it to sound like a question but it came out as more of an accusation.

"No, I believe you. It's just…the way he was looking at you while we were holding hands. I didn't like it."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "I don't know what you mean. I didn't notice him looking at me at all, but even if he were looking at me, it doesn't mean anything. The guy's engaged."

Rylan shook his head. "He's not engaged," he said matter-of-factly. "Engaged men don't look at other women like that."

"He is too engaged. He told me over two weeks ago. They asked me to be the stupid maid of honor remember?"

"A lot can happen in two weeks, Sabrina. Look at us. Did he say he was still engaged?"

"No, but I didn't ask either. I don't care to know." I tried to convince Rylan with my tone. I really didn't care to know. He nodded seemingly satisfied. "Good. Now where are we eating because I'm starving?" I didn't know where we were heading as we were walking since I was so caught up in the conversation. We were standing in front of a condo near campus.

"Chez Ree-lahn," Rylan answered.

I repeated what he said a couple times. "Chez Ry-lan? Rylan's house? I mean your house?"

He smiled at me. "Nice job. Yes, my house. I'm making lunch for you. Is that okay?"

"That depends. Are you a decent cook?"

"I've been known to impress the ladies with my culinary skills."

"Oh yeah, which ladies exactly?"

"Layla and my mom. I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich." I laughed. Oh, _those ladies._

We were inside Rylan's condo. It was pretty clean and well decorated for being a guy's place. It was a far cry from Bella's and my little apartment. Don't get me wrong. I love our apartment. We had it set up just the way we like it. It's cozy yet eclectic.

"Nice place. Did you decorate it yourself?"

"Yep, my dad was an architect and also loved to decorate. He used a lot of clean lines. I guess I took after him." It occurred to me that I've never heard about his dad. I've met his mom and she's great. And I obviously know Layla, but I know nothing about his dad.

"Your dad _was_ an architect?" I asked. I didn't want to assume anything so I kept the question as simple as possible.

Rylan pulled me over to one of the leather couches. He sat down and pulled me into his lap, and I automatically leaned my head in the crook of his neck. We did this as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I wasn't frightened by the intimacy. It felt...right.

Rylan took a deep breath. "My dad passed away three years ago from cancer. Layla was only one so she doesn't remember him at all. We tell her about him though. I miss him a lot. He was a big football fan too. He never got to see me play in college." His voice drifted off into a whisper.

I turned to look at him. I felt terrible for Rylan and his mother, and for Layla because she'll never get to know her father personally. I placed my palm on his cheek. Looking into his eyes I whispered, "I'm sorry." It was all I could think of to say.

Rylan wrapped his big arms around me holding me tightly and we stayed like that for a few minutes not saying a word. But wouldn't you know it? My stupid stomach growled ruining the beautiful silence. I rubbed my stomach, "Sorry again." I smiled sheepishly at him. He chuckled and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's get your tummy filled." He took my hand leading me to the kitchen. He set out a few containers of fruit gesturing for me to help myself while he started making sandwiches.

"You know if I didn't know you have a four-year-old sister I'd be disturbed by your vocabulary. _Tummy_ isn't exactly macho. And you are a tough football player after all."

"Well," he said thoughtfully while preparing the food, "I'm not your average jock."

"True," I confirmed.

"And I'm guessing you are not the average college coed."

"What do you mean by _average_?" I asked.

"Well, you're not a huge partier."

I nodded in confirmation.

"You spend your free time helping kids become better tennis players."

"That's actually my job. The park district is paying me."

"Yes, but I'm sure they're not paying much so it's practically like you're volunteering."

I had to laugh. "This is true."

"Besides, the jobs you choose, your major included, revolve around helping others. Kids in particular. That's admirable."

"Thanks," I said. "You're making me out to be a saint though. And I am far from it. I do have a tendency towards profanity and violence. Just ask Edward and Bella." I smiled thinking of when we watch baseball games together.

"What's that smile about over there?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how I am when I watch the Cubs and the Bears. The seat next to me is always a dangerous place to be. I do a lot of swearing and punching. Edward always starts out sitting next to me but then moves after I've hit him a couple times out of frustration. I think I need to work on my anger management during sporting events," I mused. "Or start watching by myself but that's no fun. I wouldn't have anyone to make sarcastic remarks to."

"So you like to watch sports?" his eyes lit up.

I shook my head, "No, not like. _LOVE!_ _And, _I play fantasy football I'll have you know."

He was smiling an evil grin at me. There was a gleam in his eyes. "What?" I asked popping a grape in my mouth.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any sexier you tell me you own a fantasy football team. You are the perfect girlfriend."

My eyes widened at his choice of words: sexy, perfect, and girlfriend? Surely he's not talking about me. "Say huh? What'd you just call me?"

"Girlfriend. Is that okay? What do _you_ consider yourself?"

"I didn't consider."

"Well, would you classify me as your boyfriend?" He was staring me down.

I rolled my eyes. "If you must feel the need to label everything then possibly I would classify you as my…boyfriend. There. I said it. Happy?"

A huge grin appeared on his angelic face. Guess that answered my question. I smiled back. He was too far away to kiss so I pursed my lips and kissed the air in his direction.

He shook his head. "No, that just won't do." He walked over to the island where I was sitting, placed his hands on my cheeks and planted a kiss on me. "There. That's better." Without missing a beat, he let go and walked back over to plate the sandwiches.

After we ate he gave me a tour of his place. It had three bedrooms: his, a guest room and Layla had her own for when she stayed over. Layla's room looked a lot like Maisy's: pink, flowery, and princess paraphernalia everywhere.

"I think our sisters will get a long great, Ry. They have a lot in common already," I observed.

"Should we introduce them to each other next weekend?"

I laughed as an idea hit me, "We could have a slumber party!"

He thought a moment, "Layla, Maisy, you and me?"

"Sure. It would be fun. We can paint our toenails, have a tea party, and watch a Disney movie."

"Can we build a fort?" A fort? I never built forts at slumber parties, but I did build them myself at home when I was little. He sounded excited about it so I said sure.

It was getting close to the time for me to teach tap so he walked me back to my apartment. Surprisingly, our places weren't very far away from each other. That's probably why he came over so quickly. Was it only last night? It seemed like so long ago. I changed for dance. I figured I'd come back home to change after dance class while he dropped Layla off at their aunt's house. Their aunt was a retired teacher and loved to nanny for Layla.

After dance I booked it home so I could shower and be changed by the time Rylan came to get me. Edward and Bella were home and asked me about my day. I told them about the tennis clinic and Wes being there and about how I thought I was getting over Wes.

"Did he say anything about me and Alice being in the wedding?" Bella asked. It made me laugh. She was still worried about that.

"No, but I didn't ask. I'll look into it on Wednesday okay?" she nodded. "Oh, Rylan and Wes met too."

"Really?" Edward asked. "How'd that go?"

"It was awkward and silly. They were supposed to be shaking hands but it looked like they were trying to break hands instead." I shook my head. "I was going to suggest they cut to the chase by dropping their pants and busting out a ruler to get it over with."

"Sabrina!" Bella sounded mortified. Edward laughed and shook his head.

"Well, isn't that what it's ultimately about? Who's the bigger man? I swear boys can be such idiots. Oh, and this is weird. Rylan doesn't think that Wes is engaged."

"Why not?" Bella asked.

"Because of the way he was allegedly looking at me. I didn't notice anything though." I shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's now the enemy. Team Sabrina is going to crush Team Wes!"

I finally got to shower and change. By the time I was ready Rylan was already over, and to my surprise Alice and Jasper popped by as well. I greeted everyone as I came out to join them in the living room. They were just sitting around talking. The guys each had a beer. Looked like we were hanging out here for a while. I plopped down on the floor in front of Rylan who was sitting in an armchair.

"Sabrina, Rylan was telling us about the slumber party you're going to have with the girls. It sounds like so much fun! It makes me want to throw a party too…Hey, why don't we have a party Saturday night just the eight of us? We could get some great food and decorate and-"

"Alice, why do we have to have decorations if it's just the eight of us?" It sounded silly to me.

"Because we have to do something different in order to call it a party otherwise it's just us hanging out as usual. Well, except now Rylan's part of the gang." She beamed at Rylan who smiled back at her. It's so great how quickly my friends accepted Rylan.

I got another idea that I thought would be fun. "Hey, let's make it a theme party then, and I have the perfect theme. Let's have an ugly sweater party. We have to wear the ugliest sweaters we can find and then we can vote to see who has the ugliest one. I think it would be fun to see you and Rose unplugged or in this case unglammed, Alice."

Bella, Edward and Jasper were laughing probably of the images in their heads of Rose and Alice pissed off because they had to wear less than attractive and unflattering clothing. It would be classic.

Alice thought hard about the theme. To my surprise she liked the idea. Rylan volunteered his place since it was going to probably be broken in by the girls Friday night anyways. Once that was settled we sat around and talked some more. I had asked how Emmett was feeling after the pink lemonade episode. Apparently he had to stay home sick today.

"That's too bad, but maybe he'll learn to follow directions now?" I said.

After a short pause we all said "Nah!" in unison.

I told Alice about Team Sabrina and she was so excited that she decided to get t-shirts made for my tennis kids. I noticed that Rylan's leg muscles tensed a bit when the subject of tennis clinic came up. I guess I'll have to have another talk with him about Wes. Wes was such a moot point now, but I didn't want Rylan freaking out about the situation. I noticed the time. As much as I love my friends, I really just wanted be with Rylan this evening.

"Hey, the Cubs are on ESPN in fifteen minutes! They're playing the Cardinals. Who's in?"

Alice made a face. She hated sports as much as Bella. I knew Jasper wouldn't be watching if Alice was out. I looked at Edward.

"That's a heated rivalry which means you'll be especially on edge and dangerous, Sabrina. And it follows that you'll punch me more than usual and so my arm will be more bruised than usual so…"

"Oh my god. In or out, Cullen?" I demanded. Sometimes he just couldn't get to the point.

"Out."

"Fine." I looked up at Rylan. "Are you in or out?"

"Oh, I'm definitely in. I need to see what all the anger management fuss is about."

"It's your arm, man," Jasper warned.

Rylan looked at me. "You're not going to punch me that hard are you?"

I shrugged. "I promise nothing. Are you still in?"

"Bring the pain."

We ordered a pizza and picked it up on the way to Rylan's place to watch the game.

"Finally, peace and quiet," I said as we walked inside. Rylan put the pizza down and wrapped me up in his arms. I looked up at him. "I have to confess, Ry. I knew none of them would want to watch the game with me so I asked them anyway knowing I'd get to spend time with just you. I'm a bad person."

"Don't feel bad. The upside is we get to be alone now," he kissed my forehead.

"Oh, I don't feel bad about it. I was merely pointing out that I'm a bad person," I smiled at him.

He shook his head chuckling. "You're something else, Sabrina.

So we watched the game. Actually, Rylan was watching me watch the game. He sat with his arm around me, which was fine by me as long as he knew the potential for getting hit was extremely high. I think I hit him about four or five times. Usually I'm not conscious of it when I punch Edward during a game. Well, at least not until he complains. With Rylan, I'd still punch him (it was practically an automatic response when I got frustrated during the game) but I'd feel bad right after so I'd apologize each time. He just laughed at me. He's taken worse hits on the football field. The Cubs ended up winning in extra innings so I was a happy camper.

I was curled up against him on the sofa smiling slightly. I was so content.

"Are you smiling because the Cubs won or because you're all comfy?"

"Mmm. Both," I breathed into his neck. It must have tickled because he started to shake with laughter. He was trying to close the space between his chin and his shoulder so the skin on his neck wouldn't be exposed, but he was squashing my head in the meantime.

"Rylan, cut it out, you're squishing me," I complained again into his neck so clearly I wasn't helping the situation. He was cracking up still and wiggling around now.

"Fine then." I got up and went to the recliner grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around myself.

"What are you doing?" he pouted.

"I'm moving over here since evidently my proximity to you was making you uncomfortable."

"No come back. I'll be good now I swear."

"Too late. I'm already comfy over here. I'm practically asleep already," I yawned.

"Fine then I'm going over there with you."

"We can't both fit on the recliner, Rylan," I pointed out.

"Then come back here. I need to be close to you," He was definitely pouting. Again, how could I resist? I went back to the sofa and sat in his lap like I had done earlier in the day.

We stayed like that for a little while before I pulled out my phone. Rylan watched me text Bella: Staying at R's. C U 2moro. I pressed send and put my phone down.

I noticed how quiet he was. He was staring at me, shock evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry, was that okay, Ry?"

**A/N Like I said. Not the best, but just you wait!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N I don't own Twilght. I'm just borrowing from Stephenie Meyer for a little while. So hope I you don't mind that I won't be getting into the regular group dynamics until the ugly sweater party. It'll be a lot of Sabrina and Rylan until then. Shout outs to Spritegirl24 and Phatom-writer3739 and to all who have put my story on alert. I'm flattered and elephant shoe! (you'll understand that by the end of this chapter). Please enjoy...**

**Chapter 12 BPoV**

Edward and I were lying on the sofa watching a movie when I got a text from Sabrina. I think my heart stopped as I read it: Staying at R's. C U 2moro.

"Oh my god, Edward!" I gasped. "Look at this."

He read the text message. "Yes, _and?_" He didn't sound worried at all. I thought he'd go all overprotective, but no.

"Aren't you at all worried?" I was kind of irritated that he wasn't bothered by the fact that Sabrina only started seeing Rylan officially last night and the next day she's staying over? "Isn't this going a little too quickly?"

"Bella, calm down. They're adults. Plus, I don't think it's what you think it is, and even if it were what you think, it's none of our business anyway. She's probably just too tired and too comfortable to come back." I nodded. This is probably true. To make his point Edward started to sarcastically list other possibilities of why she's staying over at Rylan's tonight. "Maybe she's tending to the wounds she inflicted on him during the baseball game. Or maybe he's pissed that she hit him, and he retaliated. Maybe he's forcing her to text that to us so he can have his way with her. Maybe—"

"All right, Edward. I get it. She's fine, but I'm still worried."

"What worries you, love?" he was rubbing circles on my back to calm me down. It wasn't working.

"I don't have a definite reason why I'm worried. I just am. I just have this nervous feeling in my stomach."

"Hmm, sounds like butterflies to me."

"Butterflies?"

"It sounds like you're just feeling nervous for Sabrina or _with _Sabrina. I don't know. You two are pretty tight so it makes sense that you are picking up on her emotions. It's probably some weird estrogen bind. Wow, I sound like Jasper."

"Edward, in a million years Jasper would never say _estrogen bind._"

But I thought about this for a moment. I decided that Edward slash Jasper was right so I took a few cleansing breaths to calm down. My deep breathing helped. I felt my body begin to relax. Edward kissing my neck was also working to help me forget about my butterflies for Sabrina. I was relishing in the warmth I felt as he was leaving a trail of kisses down my neck, around my collarbone, my shoulder, down my arm. He stopped when he reached my elbow.

"What's this bruise? It looks fresh," he commented.

"Oh," I blushed. "I bumped it on the table when I was dancing around the apartment this afternoon."

**Sabrina PoV**

"I probably should have asked first. Sorry to just assume…" My voice was trailing off. Rylan was still staring at me. Of course I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it still drove me crazy. I could only speculate. Maybe he thought I was being too forward. Maybe he didn't want me to stay. But he just said he wanted to be close to me. And neither of us was even referring to sex. I know _I_ wasn't, and I'm pretty positive the closeness he was referring to was nothing more than what we've been doing thus far. I swear his stare is going to be the death of me. I swallowed hard as a feeling of rejection started to wash over me. I wish he'd say something. Anything. This was maddening!

"I'll go," I said quietly looking away from him. I couldn't hide the sadness in my voice. I bit my bottom lip trying to keep it from quivering.

I started to get up, but his grip around me tightened as I attempted to break out of it. I turned to look at him again nearly bashing my head into his because he was so close. I was really confused now, but the confusion disintegrated as he leaned in and kissed me. Softly at first then the kiss grew more intense. I placed one hand on the back of his head keeping his face close to mine. My fingers were buried in his raven hair. Our mouths moved together in unison.

As Rylan deepened the kiss our bodies shifted, again, as if this were the natural thing to do. Soon I was lying on the sofa with Rylan above me supporting his weight with his arms. My heart was hammering away. I wondered if he could feel it. I needed air.

Again I was the one to initiate breaking the kiss as I pushed lightly on his chest. He pulled his mouth away but rested his forehead on mine his eyes boring into mine once more. We were both trying to slow our breathing. Finally, Rylan said something. "Don't go, Sabrina," he whispered.

I smiled and whispered back breathlessly, "'kay."

So, nothing more than kissing happened, which was fine. It was way too early for us to be taking our physical relationship any further than that. Once the decision to stay was made we went to Rylan's bedroom. I didn't get to properly see it earlier. It was spacious. This guy was really clean. Everything seemed to have its proper place. I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack when he saw the state my bedroom was in. I'm not saying I'm a complete slob, but it's nowhere as organized as Rylan's room. I classify my organizational style as controlled chaos. I knew where everything was in my room and that's all that matters.

He had a king sized bed that looked so very cushy and inviting. I swear it was calling to me so I took a running start and jumped on it and sprawled out. Yes, it was very comfortable indeed.

I heard chuckling from the doorway. Rylan was leaning against the door jam watching me. "You look like you're in heaven, Sabrina."

"I am. Your bed is so cozy. I don't think I'll want to get up in the morning. Good thing I have tomorrow off, huh?"

"Great. We can loaf around in the morning. Unfortunately, I have practice in the afternoon. You can stay as long as you like though."

"I don't think I've loafed around ever. What's that entail exactly? Just laying in bed and laying on the sofa watching TV eating bon bons?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"That's not very productive…sounds good to me," I yawned. "Can I borrow a shirt to sleep in, Rylan?"

"Sure," he said as he walked over to me. And just like that he took off the t-shirt he was wearing and handed it to me. Good thing I was already sitting down because my legs would have for sure given out from under me had I been standing up when he did that.

_Damn! _To say he looked magnificent would be a complete understatement not to mention an injustice to his perfect physical form. Now, I'm not one to ogle but ogle I did. Hell, a straight man who was happily married to a gorgeous woman with the most well behaved and angelic children would have ogled (I'm looking at you, Brad Pitt) so, no, I did not feel ashamed.

"What?" he asked innocently tilting his head with his eyebrows knitted together. He was so adorable. It took everything in me to keep from jumping him. "Something wrong, Sabrina?"

_Sabrina? Who's Sabrina? Is that my name?_ I shook my head slightly to regain what senses I had left. I took the shirt from him. "Thanks. No, nothing's wrong. You look…very…healthy."

He gave me a funny look. "Thanks, I feel very healthy."

I smiled lamely, "Good…I'll go change now." I took the shirt and went into his bathroom. I had to slap my face a couple times to make sure I wasn't dreaming this up. Even in my dreams, though, his body wouldn't have been that beautiful. I splashed some cold water on my face before I removed my jeans and t-shirt and slipped Rylan's on. It smelled just like him. I was wrapped up in his scent. I felt all warm and fuzzy and perhaps slightly drunk from his scent. I had to laugh though. The shirt had a picture of Alcatraz prison and the writing said _Chillin' like a villain_. It was extremely baggy on me and came down just past mid thigh. I took another hit of his intoxicating scent that was still lingering in the fabric of the shirt before going back to his room. He was already lying in bed on top of the covers, legs crossed, arms behind his head, still shirtless (mmmm) and now wearing basketball shorts. Greek gods wished they looked this good.

A smile formed on his perfect lips as his eyes met mine. I spread my arms out, "How do I look?" Ridiculous I'm sure. If I had a belt, his shirt could have been an evening gown on me.

"Very…healthy," he smirked. Ha ha. "Nice legs."

"Thanks," I said as I climbed in to lay next to him. I imitated his relaxed position. We were both silently staring at the ceiling.

"Are you tired?" I asked him.

"Nope. You?"

"Nope."

"Don't you want to scoot closer?" he asked me.

"Do you want me to?" I teased.

"With every fiber of my being." That made me smile.

So I moved in closer placing my head in the crook of his neck. It was now my favorite spot to be. I had one arm draped across his chiseled chest resting my hand on his shoulder. Rylan brought his arms down to wrap them around me keeping me in place.

I sighed. And he thought I was in heaven before. Nothing compared to this.

"Tell me something you've always wanted to do, Rylan."

He thought a moment. "I've always wanted to visit Paris."

"Me too! But then who doesn't want to go to Paris? What would you do there?"

"I know it's cheesy and cliché, but I want to go up the Eiffel Tower. It's just an amazing structure, and to see the nuts and bolts of it up close would be pretty great…What would _you_ do in Paris?"

"That's easy. Two words: Rolland Garros. To see the French Open live would be beyond awesome. You know, I've always wanted to play tennis on a clay court. Grass, too, for that matter, but I just love watching the pros slide into their shots on clay. So cool. I'd like to try that. Oh, and I'd visit the Louvre for sure."

"What about the Eiffel Tower?"

I shook my head. "No way. I'd admire it from the ground, but I wouldn't go up unless I was wearing a diaper. I hate heights."

"Hmm. Good to know. So what have you always wanted to do, Sabrina?"

"I just answered that."

"No, Paris is technically my answer. You have to come up with something else."

"Oh," I thought a second. "Okay, and I'm not saying this to try to impress you because this is truly something I've always wanted to do. You can even confirm this with Bella and Alice because I've told them this and they thought I was just crazy. And it's not as fancy as going to Paris or anything. And actually you might think it's kind of lame but…"

"Sabrina, please, the suspense is killing me." Ha, he's one to talk.

"Okay. Okay. I've always wanted to try to kick an extra point through the uprights."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean the kickers in college and NFL do it all the time and they make it look so easy, which I'm sure it's not, but I've always wanted to try it anyway. Have you ever attempted to kick an extra point, Ry?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the first thing every football player wants to try," he was laughing. At me?

"Well, did you make it and was it difficult?"

"I cleared the uprights eventually after a few attempts, but then again, I was kicking it just for fun and I didn't have the pressure of huge football players running at me to try to block it."

"Yeah, that could be a little intimidating I bet," I yawned. He held me tighter.

"You should try to sleep now, Sabrina."

"I'm not tired," I lied. Another yawn gave me away though. I was already starting to drift off.

He chuckled, "Goodnight, Sabrina. Sweet dreams." He kissed the top of my head and then rested his chin there.

I cuddled in closer to Rylan. I was breathing on his neck again, but this time he wasn't cracking up like he did before. What I thought I said next I can't be sure of since I was so close to being unconscious. But I _thought_ that I whispered, "Night, Ry. Love you."

I did have sweet dreams. I dreamt of red clay tennis courts, the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower. I was walking all over Paris with Greek gods in togas. I awoke to a pair of sparkling hazel eyes staring straight at me. A smile crept across his lips. "Good morning, Sabrina. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmhmm." I didn't want to get yet. We were both buried under his comforter. I felt his warm arms wrap around me again as I snuggled in closer to him. Was I still dreaming? If I were still dreaming then the kisses I felt along my jaw line and neck certainly woke me up.

"You're way better than an alarm clock," I said stretching my arms and legs with a yawn.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to be able to watch you sleep. You're beautiful you know." He kissed my forehead.

I made a face. "You were watching me sleep? That's not very productive. Why don't you make breakfast or do something worthwhile," I teased.

"Okay," he said loosening his hold on me getting up and leaving the bedroom. Shoot! I didn't' really want him to let go of me. But he retuned a second later with a tray of food. "You're continental breakfast is ready, my love."

I made another face at what he said as he set the tray down. "_Love_?" He grinned and nodded. "Is that what you're saying now?"

His grin grew wider in response to my question. "Well, you said it first you know. That was the last thing you said to me last night. It actually stopped by breathing for a moment when I heard it, but it feels right to hear it. And it feels right to say it. I love you, Sabrina." He kissed me again this time on my lips.

"So I guess I didn't dream that." Wow! I can't believe I actually said it last night. It totally slipped out. But is that how I feel? Yes. But how could I, _we_, feel love when we've only just started seeing each other? Surely this was too early, but Rylan was right. It feels right to say it, like we've known each other much longer than a couple of weeks. It's like we could have been lovers eons ago and something separated us for a while but we'd been fighting to get back together again. It's like we belong together. It was a natural force, like gravity, pulling on us. The universe wanted us together.

"Sabrina, what are you thinking about?"

Sheesh, where do I begin? "Just that…Is it weird that we're already using the word love this early into the relationship? I mean, it does feel right to say…" I was looking right into his eyes, "I love you." I smiled and got an even bigger smile out of Rylan. "But I'm pretty sure my friends and family will most definitely freak out if I told them we're already saying that. I don't want them to think we're just throwing that word around even though we really mean it."

He sighed. "Yeah, I think you're right, but now that I've said it I want to always say it no matter who's around."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I know. I must sound so whipped. I think it's because I am. I'm pathetic." I laughed.

"You are pathetic. You so just gave me the drivers seat in this relationship you know."

"Like you didn't already have it."

"True," I conceded. I wanted to implement my power now. "I want to hear you say it again, Ry."

He smiled and mouthed, "I love you," then kissed my nose.

"Thanks. Hey, you know when you just mouthed that? If I didn't know what you were actually saying, it _looked_ like you could have been saying _elephant shoe_."

"Elephant shoe?" He said it and I laughed.

"It's such a random thing to say, but it's like saying I love you. See, watch me mouth it." I proceeded to mouth the words _elephant shoe_ slowly so he'd see it.

Seeing that smile appear on his beautiful face was priceless. He kept mouthing the words _I love you _and _elephant shoe_ and nodded. "You're right!"

So now we had a code word to say in front of family, friends, whomever until we felt the time would be more appropriate to actually say_ I love you_. This may seem silly and childish, but it's what works for us.

"Thanks for breakfast, Rylan. Elephant shoe." We were both laughing at ourselves as we practiced using the code word.

"We should get dressed soon. Elephant shoe."

I shook my head. "Perhaps we should try harder to integrate it into a sentence. Make it sound more natural."

"How do you work _elephant shoe _into a normal sentence, Sabrina?"

"Look at this bowl, Rylan. It looks like an elephant shoe." We were cracking up.

"I think we need to work on it more," he decided.

I nodded. "Elephant shoe, Ry."

"Elephant shoe, Sabrina."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** **You know I don't own Twilight. Elephant shoe, dear readers, elephant shoe. And even bigger elephant shoes to Spritegirl and Phantom-writer. Thanks for the reviews. You are my smurfin' review posse, elephant shoe. Here's chapter 13 hot off the press...Oh, my sister is bitter b/c I don't give her sneak peaks, but honestly, this story is writing itself. I've got nothing outlined so reviews help me get motivated. Ahem, hint hint. Read on.**

**Chapter 13 Sabrina PoV**

After finishing breakfast we got dressed. I needed to go home to shower and get clean clothes on. Rylan walked me the seven blocks back to my apartment. I told him he didn't need to so he could rest before football practice but Rylan insisted. It was a nice day so we took our time. We stopped for coffee to take back to Bella and Edward. Of course they were already up and dressed when we entered the apartment.

We all greeted each other with the normal good mornings. Bella just finished making eggs, bacon and toast when we came in with the coffees.

I was still full from my breakfast in bed so I left Rylan with Bella and Edward so I could shower and change. When I rejoined them I noticed they were done eating. Even Rylan had an empty plate in front of him, and we just ate. I had to remind myself how much athletes eat, especially football players.

Rylan was telling Edward about some of the drills they run in football practice. Bella looked bored so I started clearing the table and she helped me. Once we were in the kitchen I had to brace myself for what was to come.

"Sabrina!" she sounded so giddy.

"What?"

"Don't you _what_ me. I nearly had a heart attack when I read your text last night. Edward had to calm me down."

"Gee, I wonder what he had to do to calm you down, Bells?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You can't distract me on this topic. So…did you guys…?" she faded off the sentence suggestively.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? Is that what you thought I was doing? Do you not know me at all, Bells?"

"I know. I know. We decided that that's probably not what you were doing, but I was still a nervous wreck. I even had butterflies in my stomach for you. Edward says we have an estrogen bind." She waved her hand as if to discredit his statement.

I made a face. "_Estrogen bind_? Where's he come up with this stuff?" Bella shook her head as if to say _I don't know._

"So, you don't have to give me all the gory details, though Rose and Alice will demand to know everything," I nodded. "But, tell me. Are you in love?"

I had to think fast. Should I tell her? Would she understand? She is my best friend. She would never judge me. So I smiled really big which caused her to smile just as big.

"Really?" she asked.

"I really think so, Bells. I mean I know it's so early into the relationship, but we both feel it. It's this strong connection. It's not estrogen bind, mind you, but it's still very strong. It's impossible to articulate."

"Have you guys said I love you already?"

"We have, but we decided to say something else because we know that this relationship is so new that people probably would think we didn't really mean love when we say it. It's stupid…"

"What are you guys saying instead of I love you?" Her eyebrows were scrunched together probably trying to think of a euphemism for the phrase I love you. She'd never come up with it if I didn't tell her.

"You're going to laugh, but it's _elephant shoe_," I whispered.

She gave me the usual Sabrina, you must be crazy look, and so I launched into the explanation of the code word as we were washing the dishes. It was hilarious to see Bella mouthing the words over and over again like Rylan did earlier to figure it out for herself.

"Sabrina, that's the cutest thing I've ever heard! Alice and Rose are going to freak out!"

"Bella, you can't tell them. That's the whole point of it being a code word! Geez, I hope the CIA never hires you."

"But you told _me_? Can't we keep it a secret between us girls and Rylan? We don't even have to tell Rylan that we know. Please, Sabrina. This is too cute _not _to tell the girls about." I swear she was bouncing up and down like Alice would have been. She even had the same heart breaking expression Alice would use when she really wanted something. It was so irritating.

I sighed heavily. This is not how secret code words worked. She's about to blow the cover off this whole operation! Too many people were about to know, but Bella had a point. Had the shoe, the _elephant shoe _as it were, been on the other foot I definitely would have wanted to tell Alice and Rose. Everything Bella just said to me I would have said to her as well. We were such girls!

"All right, fine, but Alice and Rose _and you_ cannot tell the boys about it. Girls may think it's cute, but if Emmett finds out…" I shuddered. "Poor Rylan will probably be stripped of his manhood."

Bella nodded in understanding.

We then rejoined the boys in the living room. They were still discussing sports. Bella rolled her eyes at them. I merely shrugged.

"Don't you ever tire of sports talk?" she asked sounding exasperated.

Rylan and Edward looked at her as if they didn't understand the question.

"You two must have a testosterone bind." Bella declared.

I laughed. "Hey! I like sports talk too, and I'm pretty sure I don't have a testosterone bind with these guys." I looked at Rylan. "I'm used to all the sports talk so I don't care. You should meet our dads, Ry."

"Oh my god," Bella groaned. "George and Charlie are the worst!" Edward and I chuckled.

I explained to Rylan, "Our dads are consumed with sports. Bella's dad is hooked on ESPN and my dad is just hooked on sports period. He plays golf and tennis. He watches any sport that's televised pretty much, listens to sports radio, reads _Sports Illustrated, _he plays on fantasy leagues, he coaches, he even watches other people talk about sports like on _Pardon the Interruption_. He's ridiculous."

"Yeah, but what Sabrina isn't telling you, Rylan, is that she's nearly as bad as her dad," Edward said.

"That's not true, Edward. I don't watch _PTI_," I pointed out. "Anyway, I'd say I'm well rounded. I'm not obsessed with sports like my dad is. I have other interests."

"True," Edward conceded. "Oh, Rylan, how angry did Sabrina get last night during the baseball game? I know ultimately she was happy, but there are a lot of ups and downs in a Cubs game."

"Don't I know it?" Rylan was rubbing his shoulder. What a faker. "Sabrina's got some power behind her punches." He was slightly shaking with laughter.

"Whatever, Rylan. You just laughed at me when I punched you so I couldn't have hurt you, you fraud." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh?" he asked rolling up his right sleeve and exposing a round red and purple mark on his bicep.

"Oh." I said quietly. "Did I do that?" I asked innocently.

"Yes, Urkle, you did," Rylan nodded at me. He wasn't mad. He actually looked amused.

"Geez, Sabrina, were you holding a roll of quarters?" Edward asked.

"Shut up, Cullen." I gave Edward the stink eye.

Rylan laughed. "Thank god she wasn't holding a roll of quarters otherwise I'd have a broken humerus."

I looked at Rylan and wrinkled my nose. "Oops." But then I realized something. "I'd apologize, but you were informed of the risks associated with sitting next to me during a Cubs game so it's really your own fault."

Rylan shook his head and then looked at Bella and Edward. "Does she always reason things out like that?"

"Yes!" they both said

I made a face. "Don't you people have some place to be?"

Edward laughed. "Actually, we do, Sabrina. Jasper and I are helping his friend move."

"And I have to help take inventory and organize the reading writing center on campus," Bella said.

"Oh, when will you be done Bells? Want to go hunt for ugly sweaters later?"

Bella made a face. She hates shopping. "Hey, either shop with me today or shop with Rose and Alice later," I pointed out.

Bella shuddered at the mere mention of shopping with Rose and Alice. "I'll go with you," she said glumly. "But I can't go until after four."

"That's fine. I'll go running or something to keep myself occupied this afternoon. Maybe I'll watch some Animal Planet. I think they have a special on pachyderms and their foot issues and solutions," I said with a smile.

"Elephant shoes," Rylan said seriously.

"Yes, elephant shoes," I replied just as seriously. "See you guys later," I said to Bella and Edward.

Bella tried to keep her knowing smile discreet, but Edward just looked confused as they left the apartment. Once the door shut Rylan and I burst out in laughter.

"_Pachyderms, their foot issues and solutions_? Subtle, Sabrina," Rylan said sarcastically.

"Hey, we need the practice and besides, Animal Planet could totally have a special like that. You don't know."

"Yeah, on animal footwear." He was shaking his head as he pulled me in for a hug.

I wrapped my arms around him. "It could happen."

I looked at the time. It was after ten. "When do you have practice, Ry?"

"Noon to four. It's a double practice."

I made a face. "Oh. I won't get to see you until after Bella and I get done shopping?"

"That's what it looks like. How long will shopping take?"

My mood brightened. I was going shopping with Bella after all. "Probably not long. Bella hates to shop. We'll just hit up a thrift shop or two. Shall I get an ugly sweater for you or are you on it?"

"I'm on it," he said confidently. "Text me when you're done and I'll be over in a flash."

"Ten-four."

We spent the next hour on the sofa watching _Sportscenter_ before Rylan had to leave to get ready for practice. He walked back to his place texting me the whole way there. I smiled every time my phone dinged with a new message. Yes, there were a couple elephant shoes texted.

It was about five after twelve when my phone sounded again as I received a new text. I was expecting it to be from Rylan but frowned when I realized the time. He should be warming up at football practice. I grabbed my phone to read it.

_**R u busy**? _ It was Wes. This is a surprise.

_**Not really. Y?**_

_**Want 2 play 10-s on clay?**_ That got my attention.

_**Where? When?** _I asked.

_**New court at Seattle CC. Pick u up in 15?**_ The country club, huh? Wes' dad is a member there.

_**K.**_

Cool! I was going to experience some clay court tennis. I can't wait to tell Rylan! Oh yeah, Rylan. I wonder if he'll have a cow about this. Probably, but it'd be ridiculous. I really was over Wes. Rylan had nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to ask his permission to play tennis with a friend. _That_ would be ridiculous. Besides, he's at practice until four. He wouldn't answer his phone anyway. I could text him, but if he checked his phone before four he'd get his blood pressure up for nothing. But if I didn't let him know he'd probably be hurt. What should I do? Okay, I'll text him. Wow my inner dialogue is really getting long winded. I was sounding like Edward.

_**Don't freak out. Am playing 10-s on clay court at Seattle country club w/ Wes. I said don't freak out! No worries. Elephant shoe.**_

I didn't have much time to get ready after that long conversation with myself. Luckily, it's not difficult dressing for tennis. But then I remembered we'd be at the country club so I couldn't wear just shorts and a t-shirt. I threw on a sleeveless tennis dress with boy short tennis briefs underneath making sure my bum was completely covered. I threw on some old tennis shoes since the clay would mess up my nicer tennis shoes. Wes was pulling up to my building as I got downstairs.

"Hey," I said as I jumped in his car.

"Hi, Sabrina. You look nice."

"Thanks. We must dress appropriately for the _club you know,_" I said in a snooty voice.

"Of course." He said in a nasally voice that also sounding snobbish. We both laughed. "So how have you been?" he asked.

"I've been great. Thanks. And you?"

"I've been better," he replied.

Shoot! Why couldn't he just answer _fine_ regardless if he's fine or not like normal people? Doesn't he know that no one really waits for the answer to how are you? Damn social etiquette I had to ask. "Really what's up?" I tried to sound genuinely concerned.

"You don't want to hear it, Sabrina." Wes sounded sullen. He's right though, I didn't.

"You can tell me, Wes."

"Sasha and I aren't engaged anymore."

What?! Crap! Rylan was right. "Since when? What happened?"

"Well, honestly the day after we saw you at the club."

"Oh my god. Why?"

"After you turned down the request to be maid of honor we went home and brainstormed reasons why you said no."

"Wes, don't overanalyze it. I just didn't want to that's all."

"Yes, but Sasha insisted that there was something else. Like you may have been in love with me or something. I know, it's crazy. Sasha has quite an imagination. She always was jealous of you, Sabrina. But I always reassured her that we were only friends."

I nodded. Wow, Sasha is pretty perceptive. Who knew? "She didn't buy it I guess."

Wes shook his head.

"That's too bad. So she broke it off?"

Wes shook his head again. "No, I broke it off…because she made me question my feelings for her and for…_you_. I don't think she really loved me nor I her."

"What are you talking about, Wes?" I was truly confused.

"Well when she mentioned that you may have been in love with me I started examining our relationship. How we used to hang out and practice together and play in tournaments. How you'd always listen to my problems. It's like in the movies. How the love of your life is the person right in front of you and you didn't realize it until it's almost too late. We really mesh well I think…Sabrina, if I told you I really liked you…as more than a friend…what would you say?"

Oh god! Why me? I wonder if he'd notice if I opened the car door and just jumped out. If I tucked and rolled it wouldn't hurt as much..."Wes…" I started hesitantly.

"Can you tell me that you don't have any feelings for me, Sabrina?"

Deep breath in, deep breath out. How should I put this? "Honestly, Wes, if you had said this to me maybe a month ago…but a lot has changed for me."

"It's that big jock, huh?" Wes made a face.

I immediately got defensive. "_Rylan_," I corrected him indignantly.

"Yeah, him."

"Yes."

"But you've known him less than a month. I've known you for years."

"That may be true, but I know enough about Rylan to know that I want to know even more about him." I think that made sense. "Did you follow that?"

"Yes, I get it," he said sadly. "But you did have feelings for me once then?"

I sighed. "Wes, I don't know how this is supposed to help, but yes, I did for a long time actually."

"When did it change for you?"

"Ironically, the day after the club run in. After you told me you were engaged. I had to force myself to get over what it was I thought I felt for you since senior year."

Wes' eyes widened at the realization. "So all these years…and Sasha…I'm sorry, Sabrina. You must have thought I was an idiot."

"Yep," I smiled.

"Gee thanks," Wes chuckled ruefully. "So not quite like the movies then. I _am_ too late...this Rylan guy. He treats you right?"

I couldn't suppress my huge smile at the mention of Rylan. "Yes, he makes me feel like…like I'm the only person he can see."

Wes was thoughtful for a moment. "Then I'm happy for you, Sabrina. That's how it should be."

"Thanks, Wes. So are you okay?"

"Yeah. I will be as long as _we're _cool."

"Of course," I said studying him. He seemed better. There was more of a sparkle to his eyes.

"So, I have to ask. Why the hell would Sasha want _me_ to be her maid of honor? Not just a bridesmaid, no, the smurfin' MOH. Why? Honestly, you can tell me. You were high weren't you?"

Wes laughed. "_Smurfin' MOH? _Where do you get this stuff. Are _you _high? No, we were not high. It really did seem like a good idea at the time. I'm an idiot, remember? Plus, Sasha has no girlfriends."

"Yeah, clearly since she asked Bella and Alice to be in the wedding as well. Bella really wanted to say no, by the way, but was too chicken to. I am formally and officially declining on her behalf. I know it's moot at this point, but just for the record, she and Alice didn't want to do it."

"Yeah, I could tell. And you, Miss Kingston, didn't have to be so cold about turning us down. I couldn't believe you said no like that: thanks but no thanks? We were floored."

"Hey, I didn't want there to be any miscommunication about it. I think I got my point across."

"Yeah, like a taser." He laughed. I was so relieved. It was nice he could joke about it so soon.

I noticed he had pulled in to the country club. He signed us in and we proceeded to the tennis courts. There was only one clay court so it had to be reserved. Wes' dad hooked us up. It wasn't the red clay of Paris, but it would do. Neither of us had ever played on clay before so we were both like fish out of water at first. The clay really did slow down the pace of our groundstrokes. It was like learning to play all over again.

"Good thing our tennis kids aren't watching us right now," I said. "This isn't exactly pretty tennis. And doesn't it seem counterintuitive to slide? I don't want to break my knees."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. This clay messes with the bounce of the ball too."

So there we were, two hard court players on clay for the first time. It definitely wasn't cute, but it was fun. I actually did slide into so some shots. It was pretty gratifying. We mostly just hit groundstrokes back and forth and then started to play real games.

We played for about an hour and a half taking only a couple short breaks for water. We talked and joked like old times and we even tried hitting fancy shots like the pros do like between the legs and huge overheads where we leap off the ground. I actually dove for a shot. Not only did I get it back over the net, I fell and rolled into the clay right after that shot. I was covered in bluish-green dust, but it was worth it. These were shots we definitely did not want the tennis kids to attempt. We knew our time was up when a couple of men were hovering around the clay court looking a little impatient. One guy even cleared his throat. Subtle.

We grudgingly took our stuff and left the court. Just as we got off the court Wes nudged me and gestured for me to look. Rylan was leaning up against a tree again. "You're guy overprotective much?"

He was still in his football uniform minus the shoulder pads. So _that's_ what he looks like in his little football pants. A huge grin started to form on my face until I saw the look on _his _face. He didn't look pissed. He looked a little sad actually.

"Hey, Wes…"

"Yeah, I know. You won't be needing a ride from me."

I started to walk towards Rylan. To my surprise, Wes followed me. It unnerved me a bit. I gave Wes a _what the hell are you doing _look. He just smiled at me innocently.

"Hi, Ry," I greeted him brightly smiling slightly.

"Hello, Sabrina," he said quietly with his jaw set. He never took his eyes off of Wes. He nodded his head in Wes' direction. "Wes."

I heard Wes swallow kind of hard before he extended his hand out for Rylan to shake. "Sorry about yesterday, man."

Rylan's expression softened a bit as he shook it. He nodded, "Me too."

To my astonishment they actually shook hands like normal people. No ruler needed today.

"Sabrina, I'll see you tomorrow at tennis."

"Okay. Thanks for inviting me today. It was a blast." I smiled at Wes. I was genuinely happy.

Wes looked at Rylan. "Keep treating her right."

Rylan nodded. "Will do."

And with that Wes left.

I looked at Rylan. "This is a surprise. Are you blowing off practice to flex on Wes?"

"The second part of practice was voluntary. I just couldn't wait until tonight to see you. Is that wrong?"

"No, not at all. You weren't flipping out were you?"

"No, not at all." I looked at him skeptically. "Maybe." I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, yes."

"Why, Ry? I told you no worries. And with all the elephant shoes being thrown around, why? Did one hit you in the head?" I took his hand and we started walking in the general direction of the parking lot.

"I know. I'm acting like _that_ guy. The jealous guy that I don't want to be. I'll work on it. I promise"

"Good. Because that's not my scene. Nothing's a bigger turn off than insecurity. Well, except for maybe back hair and backne." I shuddered.

"What nee?"

"Backne. You know, acne on the back. It's also a turn off."

"I'm glad to know I'm not at the lowest level, Sabrina. I'll try not to grow back hair or develop backne. Anything else?"

"No, that about covers it. Hey, how'd you get in here anyway? Wes had to sign us in to get back to the courts."

"The girl at the desk just let me in."

"Just like that? 'Can I come in?'" I said in my best deep, husky jock voice.

Rylan rolled his eyes. "I don't even sound like that, Sabrina. I did have to smile at her a little and give her the eyes," He admitted sheepishly.

I made a face at him. "You're a man-whore."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N I don't own Twilight. Steph Meyer does. She is a goddess. I am a scrub with a sill story, but I'm glad you're sticking with it. Here is the much anticipated ugly sweater party chapter. This is by far the longest chapter to date. Now, as much as I enjoy writing and posting these chapters, I must tell you, dear readers, that surprisingly I have a life, and subsequently other commitments and I will not be able to post as often. I mean let's face it, you've been spoiled. And I've loved spoiling you, but I have homework that I can no longer ignore--the chapters my professor assigned aren't going to read themselves, but please know that I will try my best to update since I am just as anxious to find out what happens to our friends in Sabrina-land as some of you are. Please enjoy my latest creation...**

**Chapter 14 Sabrina PoV**

"_Man-whore?_ I am no such thing. I didn't perform any sexual favors to obtain entrance into the country club." We were in Rylan's car. He was pretending that my man-whore remark offended him.

"No, but you used your devastatingly good looks to charm the pants off the girl at the desk."

"I have devastatingly good looks?" he smiled smugly and seemed quite pleased with himself.

I rolled my eyes. "As if you didn't know that, Ry."

"What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"If my looks are devastatingly good then yours are devastatinglier great."

"Oh my god, how hard did you get hit at practice?"

Rylan dropped me off so I could shower and change while he went home to do the same. He came right back over with the leftover pizza from last night which we ate as a late lunch. Bella wasn't due back for another hour so we were curled up on my bed. I had my head resting in my favorite spot feeling the rise and fall of Rylan's chest as he breathed while tracing his lips with my finger when Rylan pulled me out of the La-La Land I was in.

"Sabrina, did you really have fun today with Wes?"

"Huh?" I was confused. "What?"

"I was just curious. You told Wes you had a blast today."

"So?"

"So did you?"

"Yes, I did. You knew I've always wanted to play tennis on clay." Where was he going with this conversation?

"I only found out last night. Wes beat me to the punch," he said dejectedly.

I sat up on my elbow to look at him. My eyebrows knitted together. "Is that what this is all about?"

"I want to be the one you have a blast with on a clay tennis court," his hazel eyes were serious, but Rylan was definitely pouting. I would have been annoyed had he not been so darn cute about it.

"Rylan, I don't need to be on a clay tennis court to have a blast with you. We could be trapped in a port-a-potty that was tipped on its side and I'd have infinitely more fun with you than on the clay court with Wes today." I kissed the tip of his perfect nose.

"Aww, Sabrina, that is truly…disgusting. I love you and all, but I'd be more focused on getting us out of the port-a-potty than with trying to have a blast. Call me crazy, but I've got priorities." He was laughing now at least.

"Well, you _should_ be trying to get us out of the port-a-potty since it's your fault we're trapped in there in the first place," I pointed out.

"How is it my fault? And why are we _both_ in the port-a-potty?"

"Because you're like a male version of a siren and you lured me in with your siren-like trickery and magical lyre playing."

"But if I lured you in, then why would I want to get us out?"

"Because you finally realize that holy crap—no pun intended--we're trapped in a stinking port-a-potty!"

"Am I still playing the lyre while I'm trying to get us out?"

"Rylan, that's just ridiculous." I rolled my eyes.

He looked confused. "Why?"

"You can't be _playing_ the lyre because you'd be _using_ the lyre to bang on the door to try to get us out of the port-a-potty. I thought you had priorities." Duh.

"Sabrina," he said seriously, "Don't ever do drugs."

"Fine, I won't, but let the record show, counselor, that you're not pouting anymore are you?" I smiled smugly at him and place my head back down in the crook.

"I think _you're_ the siren," he mumbled into my hair.

"I can't be a siren, Ry. I don't play the lyre."

He was shaking his head. "Truly, you are crazy…and I must be even crazier."

Once Bella got home she grabbed a slice of the pizza and we were off to the thrift shop.

We pretty much hit the jackpot as far as finding ugly sweaters. We were cracking up as we were going through the racks trying to find the perfect hideous outfit. Bella actually had fun shopping! But I swore I wouldn't tell Alice.

Rylan went back to his place where I stayed the night again, but this time I was prepared and sent a bag of my essentials home with Rylan first.

The rest of the week flew by and before I knew it, it was Friday. I told my parents that I'd come home Friday morning to pick Maisy up for the sleepover, but they decided to come into Seattle instead since they were going to leave with Maisy on Saturday for vacation. My parents were to stay at a hotel that night. They were also bringing our Portuguese water dog, Beau, to stay with me while they were away for the next month. Bella and Edward volunteered to dog sit Beau the night of the sleepover. And apparently Bella's dad was turtle sitting Jasper over the vacation.

We were all going to meet at my apartment. Rylan was very nervous to meet my parents even though I reassured him that my parents and Maisy would love him. I made sure Bella and Edward were also around to be buffers.

The meeting went very well. My mom gushed to Bella and me how cute and polite Rylan is. My dad was like a giddy little schoolgirl around Rylan though he tried to hide his interest at first. You know, the tough guy act. No one fell for it. Everyone knows George is a sucker for anything related to football so he, Rylan and Edward were chatting it up. My dad was really impressed that Rylan's jersey number is thirty-four, just like his hero and favorite running back of all time, Walter Payton.

My mother brought a box of Caramel Delights Girls Scout cookies for each of us. Edward and Bella and I nearly took her arm off when she held up the bag the cookies were in as we lunged for it. We love Caramel Delights. No, love isn't even a strong enough word for how we feel about Caramel Delights. Edward opened the bag and tossed me my box. He handed Bella's to her and then pretended to take the rest for himself earning "hey" from Bella and me.

My mom laughed. "Edward, I trust that you will get those to Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose?" she said in her teacher slash mom voice.

Edward made a face and my mom gave him _the look_. "Yes, ma'am." He knows my mom doesn't mess around. He looked in the bag and smiled. "Hey, there's an extra box in here!" Bella and I both gasped as Edward laughed an evil laugh.

"That box is for Rylan," my mom informed us. Edward grudgingly tossed the box to Rylan as Bella and I laughed. Ha. He thought he was going to be slick.

Rylan asked what all the fuss about the cookies was after my mom and dad left with Maisy. They were going to drop her off at the studio for a lesson before the slumber party tonight.

"What's the deal with the Caramel Delights?"

"They're only the most delicious cookie that the Girls Scouts put out," I said.

He opened his box pulling out the flimsy plastic tray and pushing it back in after he tried a cookie. "It's okay, I prefer Thin Mints."

Edward and Bella and I stared at him in mock horror and with a little irritation on my part.

"First of all, Ry, _everyone_ likes Thin Mints. I defy you to find someone who doesn't enjoy Thin Mints. But let's face it. It's not the most original cookie out there. And B, that's not how you store the cookies after you open the box."

Edward and Bella were shaking their heads in disapproval of the way Rylan had blatantly ignored the protocol for opening a box of Caramel Delights.

I held my palm out for him to hand the box to me. He watched in confusion as I proceeded to separated the flimsy plastic tray from the foil bag that it was housed in. I removed the cookies from the tray and placed them inside the foil bag before finally placing the foil bag back into the cardboard box and taking a cookie from the bag inside the box and popping the entire thing into my mouth. "For easier access to the cookies," I clarified. "No need to mess with the stupid, flimsy plastic tray. It only slows you down."

Rylan looked at me like I was crazy. While Bella and Edward nodded their approval.

"I see you guys really take your Caramel Delights seriously. You guys can have my box."

Is he crazy? Who just gives away a box of Caramel Delights? Edward and Bella both reached in at the same time for a cookie each.

Rylan just laughed. "Geez, Sabrina are all your digits still intact?"

Later, Maisy met Layla when she dropped in on the ballet class. The girls hit it off right away as they oohed and ahhed over each other's tutus and leotards. Rylan picked us all up from the studio and we headed to his condo where the sleepover festivities were setup by none other than Alice and Rose. Alice and Rose were still there when we arrived, no doubt dawdling so they could play with Maisy and Layla.

Alice and Rose were so in their element. They set up a manicure/pedicure station, a station for hair and make-up (which consisted of flavored lip gloss and pixie dust), and a dress up area all in Layla's room. Rylan and I didn't have to do much in the way of entertaining our little sisters since Alice and Rose took over the whole operation. We weren't one hundred percent sure the makeover portion of the sleepover wasn't more for the big girls than for our little sisters.

After we dined on cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and cupcakes (favorites of both the little girls), Rylan set out to build the fort in the living room with Maisy's and Layla's help or hindrance, it depends on how you look at it.

While they were in the living room, Rose, Alice and I were cleaning up in Layla's room. I knew what was coming so I braced myself.

"Sabrina! Oh my god!" Alice was practically imitating Jennifer Beal's' Maniac dance in _Flashdance_. "He's just so perfect!"

"I know, Alice." I smiled wide as we three swooned.

"So dish," Rose commanded.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged.

"_Everything_!" they both yelled.

"Shh!" I gave them a stern look and threw a glance towards the door. "_Specifically_, what do you want to know?"

They started firing off questions.

"You've slept here?'

"Yes."

"Have you…?"

"No!"

"Shh!" Now they shushed me.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Oh, yeah." We all grinned.

"Boxers or briefs?"

"Why is that even relevant?"

"Boxers or briefs?"

"Um, boxers, I guess. I don't know."

"You've said…_elephant shoe_ already?"

Bella definitely filled them in. I nodded.

"Aww!"

"You two do know that that is code and you cannot tell the guys about it upon penalty of death…"

They nodded as I continued to throw in for good measure, "…and even worse, destruction of any garment or accessory labeled Prada."

The widening of their eyes and the small intake of breath conveyed to me that they fully understood and feared the ramifications of any lapse in judgment regarding the_ code word._

I smiled, "Thanks, guys." Girlfriends are the best.

The questions continued.

"How's his body?"

"Healthy."

"How else would you describe his physique?" "Using five more adjectives starting with _S_!"

I rolled my eyes but played along. "Superb. Sensational." It was getting more difficult. "Sss-sumptuous…Sss-sexy and Sss-scrumptious?" We laughed quietly.

"Did he beat Wes up?"

"What? No, who told you that?"

"Just checking."

"Is this interrogation through?"

They thought a moment and nodded. We walked back out to the living room only to find Rylan lying on the floor with his eyes closed. Layla was beside her brother and Maisy was next to Layla. Both girls were fast asleep inside an elaborate fort made of Rylan's big comforter placed over sofas and chairs. All of his pillows from his bed and cushions from the sofas were being used. It was such a sweet scene. I snapped a picture on my phone as Alice and Rose sneaked out.

I went inside the fort to make sure the girls were warm enough. I pulled an afghan over both girls and found another one for Rylan. As I tucked Rylan in and started to stand back up, he grabbed my hand. He made me jump.

I grabbed my heart. "I thought you were asleep," I whispered.

"No, just resting my eyes waiting for you."

I curled in next to him with my head in the crook. Rylan started to stroke my hair.

"Did you get your girl talk in?"

"Of course."

"Any new revelations?"

"You're perfect. But that's not a new revelation." I smiled and patted his chest. "Oh, they did ask me if you wore boxers or briefs."

"And how did you answer?"

"I just guessed boxers…am I right?"

"Which do you prefer?"

"I prefer whichever you prefer."

"I guess you'll have to wait to find out."

"Or you could just show me now."

"What are you suggesting, Ms. Kingston?"

"Show me your underwear."

"Wow, shouldn't you buy me dinner first, Sabrina?"

We both snickered. "Just let me see the very top…"

"You first, Sabrina."

"I'm not wearing any," I felt his entire body tense up and I think he stopped breathing for just a second. "I'm just kidding, Ry." I was trying hard not to laugh very loudly. That was pretty amusing.

"That wasn't funny. Goodnight, Sabrina." He was trying to sound mad. It didn't work.

I leaned in and kissed his neck and murmured, "Yes it was, and goodnight, Ry. Love you."

"Love you too." He kissed the top of my head and we laid there like that until we drifted off into sleep.

We made pancakes the next morning before Rylan dropped Maisy and me off at my apartment. He took Layla home as well. We were going to meet up for lunch later with my parents and Maisy and then Rylan and I would drive them all to the airport.

Maisy kept going on and on at lunch about Layla, and Layla's room and the fort and Alice and Rose helping them play dress up. She couldn't wait to come back and play with Layla again. She thought Rylan was pretty special as well, insisting on sitting by him at lunch. Yep, Rylan was a big hit all around.

We took them to the airport without incident and headed back to Rylan's place to get ready for the party. There wasn't much to do besides picking up beer and wine. Alice ordered food from the restaurant we went to the weekend of Edward's birthday and she and Jasper were picking that up on the way to Rylan's. We weren't expecting anyone for another couple of hours, but Rylan said he wanted to make dessert.

At the grocery store we picked up ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, espresso, and heavy whipping cream. If I didn't know any better I'd say these were the fixings for my favorite dessert.

"Um, Ry, what are you going to make for dessert?" I asked cautiously trying not to get my hopes up.

"Tiramisu."

"_You_ know how to make tiramisu?" I asked sounding a bit surprised.

"Yes, my grandmother taught me how. It's one of my favorites." He was looking at me kind of funny. Probably in response to the way I was regarding him. "Are you okay, Sabrina?"

"I'm fine. But just so you know, you are now officially the perfect man."

A grin crept across his face. "So you approve of the dessert choice?"

"Barring any major catastrophes during the assembly of the tiramisu, I may propose to you by the end of the night," my tone was serious.

He was thoughtful for a moment. "Well, then, I better be very careful I don't mess this up now."

Once back at his condo Rylan relegated me to the barstool at the counter with a glass of wine while he made the tiramisu. It was quite a process actually. He was explaining it all to me as he was doing it. Rylan was very amusing to watch and listen to.

"You could have your own show on the Food Network, Ry. You know, like Ina Gartner as the _Barefoot Contessa?_" I teased. He finished up the second layer of ladyfingers and was spreading the mascarpone cheese and whipped cream mixture over the ladyfingers then sifted the cocoa powder on top.

"I could be the next Barefoot Contessa? I don't know how I feel about that." He wrinkled his nose at my comment.

"Don't be offended. She's my favorite on the Food Network. Her voice is so soothing and she's always making these ridiculously difficult dishes but makes it look so easy." I explained as I hopped off the barstool and went over to the mixing bowl to pick up some of the whipped cream/mascarpone cheese mixture with my finger. I couldn't resist. It looked so good I had to try it for myself.

My eyes actually rolled towards the back of my head as I tasted it. "Oh my god! This is unbelievable!"

A very smug grin formed on Rylan's lips as he mimicked me by tasting the mixture as well. "Not bad. I've made better."

I made a face. "Okay, now you're just a show off." I picked up more with my finger. "You've made it taste better than _this_?" I held my finger up to his mouth, which he gladly opened in order for me to give him another taste.

I smiled as he licked the mixture from my finger never taking my eyes off of his. Rylan's hazel eyes were smoldering. He licked his own lips as I removed my finger. There was no way this man could look any sexier.

"Actually, this is the is officially the best now that I got another taste." He dipped his finger in to return the favor.

I licked the mixture off of his finger and again my eyes rolled back. "Mmm. Yep, that's a little bit of alright." I smiled as I nodded my head. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he pulled me in to him. "Did you know that tiramisu is my all time favorite?"

"I do now. And now that I know, I am dubbing this tiramisu Sabrina's." He kissed the top of my head.

"Don't tease me, Rylan. Playing with my dessert is like playing with my emotions."

"The tiramisu is yours, Sabrina," he said seriously.

"Thanks, Ry. First the Caramel Delights and now the tiramisu. You are my personal dessert dealer." I stood up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss.

"You're welcome. Any time you need your fix, you call your dealer."

We stayed like that for a while longer. I didn't want to move, but then I noticed the time on the microwave behind Rylan. They'll all be here any minute." I sighed. "We need to go change, Ry." I took his hand and pulled him behind me as we made our way to his bedroom.

At this point we still hadn't seen each other's sweater. I was very curious as to what he came up with. I went into the bathroom to throw on my sweater. I have to admit, it's pretty ugly. I knew I had to buy it the second I saw it. It's super fuzzy fire engine red with a humongous zebra head on it. It was also three sizes too big for me. Bella and I were actually fighting over it until she spotted a hot pink and black one with vintage letters of the alphabet. It was perfect for Bells.

"Ready, Rylan?" I yelled from the bathroom.

"Yep, I'm ready!"

I came out of his bathroom and immediately doubled over. First of all, his sweater was too small for his frame. It hit an inch above his jeans revealing a portion of his abs. Secondly, the entire sweater was Bozo the Clown's face and hair. The portion of the sweater covering his torso was white. It had blue circles for eyes with angry red eyebrows, a big red nose and a creepy mouth that was supposed to be a smile. The sleeves came down to his wrist and was the same white sweater material, but the upper part of the sleeves were red like Bozo's hair. It was completely hideous and scary. I loved it!

I was in tears laughing so I hadn't even noticed Rylan laughing at my zebra head sweater.

I finally composed myself enough to speak. "Rylan, I'm calling it now. I don't even know what the others are wearing besides Bella, but _you _are going to win! No doubt. That is so repulsive! I'm already scared of clowns, but now I'm terrified!"

"You're one to talk about scary. You just have a zebra head floating on a red background." He shuddered.

"Yeah, but you're on a whole other plane of ugly, babe."

Just then the doorbell rang. We grinned in anticipation of the fashion don'ts we were about to witness.

I decided to answer the door to give Rylan and his sweater an entrance they deserved.

I opened the door to find Alice in multi-colored turtleneck sweater with shoulder pads that she was drowning in. It had a winter scene on it with skiers and a couple of pine trees cut out in a green shiny material that completely contrasted with the rest of the sweater's material. Surprisingly, she didn't look uncomfortable to be wearing an ugly, ill-fitting outfit.

Jasper was in a tight red sweater with candy cane cut outs. He wore a red collared shirt underneath I guess in an attempt to class it up.

Bella and Edward and Rose and Emmett showed up while Alice and Jasper were still at the door. Bella and Edward brought Beau who ran inside nearly knocking over Jasper to greet me. We were checking out Bella's alphabet sweater. Each letter had its own square but they weren't in alphabetical order. It was all mish mash. I noticed the font was actually in Edwardian Script. How funny.

Edward and Emmett were in multi-colored sweaters reminiscent of _The Cosby Show_. And Rose. The usually put together Rosalie was wearing a turquoise baggy sweater with a house, a palm tree with coconuts on it, some flowers and I think fish. I guess it was supposed to be paradise? It looked like someone threw up their tropical vacation and it landed on Rose's sweater.

As soon as we saw each other we were cracking up. I ushered everyone in, and as my laughter was dying down I was able to speak, "Wait. You have to see Rylan and his Bozo sweater," I said breathlessly.

Rylan stepped out from behind the door and we all erupted in laughter again as everyone got a good look at the scary clown. We were all in tears.

We finally calmed down enough to put the food and drinks out. The guys were all huddled together talking probably about football while Rose, Alice, Bella and I were talking on the other side of the room. It was like a junior high school dance.

That is until Edward busted out the bag of Caramel Delights that my mom gave us and presented them to Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose. Rylan watched in amazement as they all followed the Caramel Delight cookie opening protocol. "Wow!" was all he could say.

I notice my phone on the coffee table and picked it up. It was on silent and I missed a call from my mom. I checked my voicemail. It was my mom telling me they made it to Chicago O'hare just fine and that she'd call me tomorrow.

"Hey, Sabrina, who are you talking to? All the cool people are here?" Emmett bellowed.

"That was Dr. Huxtable. He wants his sweater back, Emmett," I quipped.

"Yeah, well, aren't you and the zebra due back at the zoo soon? It's near closing time."

"Ooo, great comeback, Em, Did you think of that all by yourself?"

"Uh-oh. Snappy Smurf is making her appearance again. Hefty's gonna have to put her in her place!" He ran at me and threw me over his shoulder and then body slammed me into the sofa as I screamed for him to put me down. But he wasn't finished. He stood above me flexing his arm and tapping his pointy elbow. "Diamond cutter!"

I screamed and rolled off the sofa landing with a thud on the floor as Emmett threw his own body elbow first into the spot on the sofa where he had just body slammed me. We were in hysterics. I don't know why I was laughing. I only just escaped with my life.

I was wiping the tears from my eyes as Rylan came over to stand above me. He was smiling and shaking his head. "It was only a matter of time that sharp tongue of yours would get you in trouble." He extended his hand towards me. I took it and he pulled me up on my feet.

"Thanks." I smiled at Rylan but then turned my attention back to Emmett. "Just for that, Em, no tiramisu for you."

"Wait, there's tiramisu? Where?"

"None of your business where because you get none of it. I am the tiramisu Nazi so no tiramisu for you. You come back one year," I said in my best soup Nazi voice as I pounded my fist.

"Aww, come on Sabrina. I'm sorry. Can I have some tiramisu please?"

Just then I noticed his pants.

"Emmett!" I exclaimed. "You _did not_ pinch roll your jeans!"

He was grinning. "Sexy, huh?" He did indeed pinch roll his jeans exposing his vintage high top Reeboks, and yes, they had the straps.

I bumped his fist. "Very strong, Em, very strong. Because you went above and beyond the hideous sweater, I will allow you a piece of tiramisu."

We hung out a while longer before Beau started whining. I put his leash on to take him outside in Rylan's small yard. After a minute of walking him around I let go of the leash. Beau is pretty good about not taking off. I sat on the step to watch him in the dark. I heard the door open and close behind me. Without even turning around I knew it was Rylan.

"How's it going out here?" He sat down beside me. I looked at him and laughed. That sweater was just so ridiculous. He laughed too; knowing his sweater still amused me.

"Beau's taking his sweet time finding a spot to defile in your yard. How's it going in there? Has Emmett destroyed my tiramisu yet?"

Rylan chuckled. "He's getting there. I think he's already finished off his box of Caramel Delights."

I laughed. "Uh-oh. Now he's going to try to hustle the boxes away from the others. I'm glad my box is safe in my bedroom."

"You're keeping your box of cookies in your bedroom?"

"Rylan, you've seen those people in there. You've witnessed for yourself the Caramel Delight protocol. They don't mess around when it comes to these cookies. They're vultures." He gave me a look as if to say _what about you?_ So I corrected myself. "_We_ are all vultures."

Beau was finished and we went back in. The party seemed to be winding down. Bella looked ready to go as she was sitting in Edward's lap resting her head on his shoulder.

Alice met us at the door and dragged us inside. "We have to vote for who has the ugliest sweater. Here." She handed us each a slip of paper.

"Alice, why don't we just speak our votes? Why's it got to be a secret ballot?" I asked confused. We were all friends here after all.

She gave me the stink eye and I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine, let's vote."

So we all wrote down our votes and placed the slips of paper into Rylan's football helmet. Alice tallied the votes. Rylan, as I called it, had the most followed by me then Jasper.

Alice even had prizes.

"Rylan, I present to you an official _I heart Rylan_ club t-shirt." Oh my god, she didn't!

Rylan proudly held up his shirt. It was smurf blue and said _I heart Rylan_ on the front. The back had the number thirty-four and the name on the back said _Beefcake._ Nice!

"Hey, what if someone else had won?" Emmett complained?

"Relax, Em, you know I've got everyone covered," Alice said.

Alice then began handing out t-shirts to everyone. Emmett's had the number two on his and it read _Hefty/Jokey_. We all laughed at the significance of the number.

Edward's shirt read _Lame-o _and had double zeros on it.

Bella's read _Clumsy_, of course, and had Edward's double zero as well.

Rose's read _Handy/Vanity_ and her number matched Emmett's.

Alice's read _Smurfette_ and Jasper's read _Brainy_. They both had the number five on it I'm guessing in honor of Alice's favorite perfume by Chanel.

My shirt instead of saying _Snappy_ on it like we all expected, read _Elephant Shoe_ over Rylan's number thirty-four. Alice winked at me. I had to smile. I looked at Rylan and he was beaming. Bella and Rose awwed in unison leaving the other boys to stare at it in confusion.

"I don't get it," Emmett said. "That's not funny. It's not funny at all actually."

"Shut up, Emmett!" Rose and Alice shouted at him.

"Come on, number two, let's go," Rose said pulling Emmett along.

"Let's go, Jazzy," Alice said also pulling a very bewildered Jasper with her. He kept saying _elephant shoe_ over and over and shaking his head.

"Ready, Lame-o?" Bella asked Edward. Edward nodded but you could tell he was deep in thought.

"Does this have to do with that Animal Planet special?"

We laughed. "Maybe," I said.

Finally the house was empty. I turned to Rylan who was still smiling.

"Well, that was interesting. I told you there's a club." I looked at him. He was pensive. "Are you truly afraid of us now?"

"No, I was just thinking how much I'd like to see you in your t-shirt."

"Aww, that means the zebra head is coming off," I pretended to be disappointed.

"Thank goodness!" he teased.

"Hey, you're one to talk, ugly sweater boy. Please take that thing off. I'm going to have nightmares for months." He just laughed.

We were in his bedroom now. He took the hideous sweater off revealing his beautiful chest. "Better?"

As if he had to ask. In a battle between Ugly sweater Rylan versus Shirtless Rylan, Shirtless Rylan wins. _Always!_ "Oh, yeah! Much better!"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not I. Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. You know how it is with homework and all. I still have a bunch of homework, but I couldn't stay away for too long. Besides, procrastination is my middle name. Thanks to all who have been reviewing and also to new readers giving my story a chance. I know some people don't like new characters, but Sabrina is interesting, no? Anyhoo, here's chapter 15.**

**Chapter 15 EPoV**

"Elephant shoe smurf just doesn't make sense," Emmett mused.

"Let it go, Emmett." Sabrina warned him for what seemed to be the hundredth time this hour.

"Come on, Sabrina," he continued to beg.

We were at Safeco Field with Jasper and Rylan watching the Seattle Mariners play The Detroit Tigers. Actually we were _trying_ to watch the game. Emmett has been harassing Sabrina through batting practice and five innings now, not to mention during the entire car ride here, about the meaning behind elephant shoe.

"I'm here to watch baseball, Em. Can I watch a little baseball?" Sabrina was irritated. She was also trying to keep track of the score on her card but soon scrapped it since she had missed too much.

"So just tell me," he whined.

"It doesn't concern you, Emmett."

Jasper, Rylan and I were snickering. Jasper and I didn't need to harass Sabrina. Emmett was doing the dirty work for us and we didn't even need to ask him to do it. Yes, we were curious about what elephant shoe meant, but it was really entertaining watching Emmett annoy Sabrina. It was like a sociological experiment. How long would Sabrina go before she throttled Emmett in public? It was only a matter of time. She can have quite the temper if goaded enough.

"Sabrina?"

"Yes, Emmett?" she answered with a sigh.

"Why do you have a Cubs shirt on when the Cubs aren't even playing here?" Emmett asked.

"Because I like to support my team no matter what game I'm attending."

"Oh….Sabrina?"

"Yes, Emmett?"

"What does elephant shoe mean?"

Sabrina leaned into Rylan who immediately put his arm around her. "Make it stop," she groaned.

Rylan just rubbed her arm and chuckled. He whispered something like, "Why don't you just tell him. I can take it." Hmm, I wonder what that means.

Sabrina shook her head. "No way."

"Saaa-breeee-nah!"

"Shut up, Emmett."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because."

"Oh, well, that's a great reason, _Maisy_, I think I'll tell you now." He _was_ acting rather like a four year old.

"Really?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"You just said you'd tell me. Am I right, witnesses? Rylan, you're going to be a lawyer. Wouldn't it be a breach of contract if she didn't tell me?" He was pleading.

Rylan was laughing. Jasper and I were just shaking our heads.

"That was sarcasm, Emmett," Jasper pointed out.

Emmett just scowled. He sat there quietly a moment before he changed his tactic.

"Sabrina?"

She ignored him.

"Sa-bri-na?" he used a singsong voice.

Still nothing.

"Sabrina!" he yelled.

"What?" Sabrina snapped.

"You're really pretty," he said sweetly with a smile. We three were shaking our heads again. Here it comes.

She smiled back at him and said just as sweetly, "Awww, Emmett," he was smiling big now, thinking he finally broke through to her as she leaned towards him to put her arm around his shoulder, "that doesn't work on me." And she smacked the back of his head.

"Sabrina, if you tell me I'll get you a new pair of running shoes," he said sweetly.

Again, Sabrina matched his tone, "Emmett if you shut up then I won't have to kill you."

"How about a new track suit?"

Sabrina turned to Rylan and Jasper and me, "Okay, someone either shoot me or shoot him because I can't take this anymore."

Finally she made Rylan switch seats with her. Talking sports with Rylan distracted Emmett, so we were able to enjoy the rest of the game.

Once we were in the car Sabrina pretended to fall asleep so Emmett wouldn't bother her. Not that that stopped him.

"Will you tell me now?"

She ignored him.

"How about now?...now? How about now?" I honestly don't know how she could ignore him for so long. I was expecting at least a "Shut up, Emmett," or another smack to the back of the head but she was holding strong.

His badgering continued until we got to Rylan's place. Emmett got out of the car to let Sabrina out. She was eyeing him suspiciously as she cautiously exited my Volvo. Once fully out of the car Emmett made his move and threw her over his shoulder.

"Ha ha! I'm not putting you down until you tell me, Sabrina!"

"Never!"

Sabrina was flailing her arms and legs trying to wiggle out of Emmett's grasp. All Jasper and Rylan and I could do was laugh. This could go on for hours.

Emmett started spinning around in circles.

"Keep this up, Emmett and I swear you'll be wearing the beer and hotdog I had at the ball park down your back," Sabrina warned.

Emmett immediately stopped spinning. He began to skip and bounce around to try to make it as uncomfortable for Sabrina as possible. He wouldn't stop despite Sabrina's warnings to put her down or else.

"Fine, Emmett!" Sabrina said.

"_Fine, Emmett_," he mocked her in a high-pitched voice. I wouldn't be doing this if I were him. It's just not prudent.

"Just remember you drove me to this."

"_Just remember you drove me to this!"_

She reached her arms down towards Emmett's jeans, placed both her hands inside and grasped his underwear yanking the band up as high as she could. Oh man, that did not look fun. The three of us cringed.

"Owwwww!!" Emmett groaned removing both his hands from around Sabrina's waist to pull his underwear back down into place. Sabrina took the opportunity to jump down from his shoulder and run behind Rylan. We were in hysterics.

Once Emmett fixed his drawers and was somewhat comfortable again he came back at Sabrina only this time Rylan was in his path of destruction protecting his girlfriend.

"Not cool, Sabrina. Have you ever experienced a wedgie?" Emmett fumed.

"I didn't want to resort to that, but you made me do it, Emmett," she laughed. "Can we call a truce, please?" Emmett was chasing her around Rylan who had one arm behind him shielding Sabrina and the other arm straight out ready to clothesline Emmett if need be. He was laughing the whole time though.

"Only after you tell me."

"Why don't you ask your fiancé?" she asked peeking her head out from behind Rylan.

"Rose says to mind my own business." He looked at Jasper and me. "Did you guys ask Alice and Bella?"

"Alice says it's top secret," Jasper said.

"Bella said that too," I told him.

Emmett looked to Rylan. "You know though don't you?"

"Of course," Rylan smiled. Emmett just made a face in disgust.

Then he looked at Sabrina to give her the puppy dog eyes that probably work on Rose, but I doubt it would on Sabrina. "Please, Sabrina?"

She made a face at Emmett. "Man up, Cullen." He kept up the eyes. "Why is it so important to you, Emmett? Can't we girls have something between us that you guys don't know about?"

"But Rylan knows," he whined.

"That's because it's directly related to him, and… I've given out too much information already."

"What? No you haven't! You've given me nothing. I got nothing." Emmett complained. "Can I try guessing?"

"Whatever," Sabrina said blandly as we all went inside Rylan's condo.

"If I guess right you have to tell me, Sabrina."

"I promise you nothing." She turned on ESPN.

"That's okay, I'll be able to figure out if I guess right because you'll get all pissed off," Emmett said smugly.

"Emmett, I'm pissed now. How will you be able to tell the difference?"

"Oh, Big Em will know." She rolled her eyes at him. "Is it a pet name?"

Just then the doorbell rang. I answered the door. It was my Bella with Alice and Rosalie, and Beau came barreling in looking for Sabrina.

"Hello, love," I leaned in to kiss her. Alice and Rose walked in kissing the air as they passed by me. "Hi, girls."

"How was the game?" Bella asked as we walked inside.

"It ended well. Though I don't remember most of it because of Emmett and Sabrina. Well, mostly Emmett. He's been bugging Sabrina about elephant shoe again. It's been a week and he hasn't relented."

Bella smiled shaking her head. "Uh-oh. Has she been driven to violence yet?" Bella wrinkled her nose.

"She's unbelievably irritated. I'm so grateful I wasn't on the receiving end of that wedgie. He's currently trying to guess." I looked at Bella for a second. "Bella, will you tell me?" I raised my eyebrows and smiled my crooked grin.

She shook her head smiling as we joined the others. "Mind your own business, Cullen." Damn, it didn't work! She sounded like Sabrina now.

"Is it, Sabrina?" Emmett asked again.

"Is it what?" Rose asked as she sat in Emmett's lap.

"Is elephant shoe her pet name?"

The girls were all laughing.

"Maybe," Sabrina said sounding disinterested.

"Ugh! She gives nothing away!" Emmett yelled in frustration. He continued to pout.

Sabrina smiled looking at Emmett. "Hey, Emmett," he looked up at her, "I love you."

He had a bewildered look on his face. "Thanks, Sabrina, but should you be saying that in front of Rylan and Rose? I'd rather you just tell me what elephant shoe means…"

Sabrina, Bella, Alice, Rylan and Rose were shaking with laughter trying not to completely lose it.

"What? What did I miss?" Emmett asked sounding very paranoid. "Will someone please tell me what elephant shoe means?"

Sabrina composed herself and said gravely, "Emmett. I love you."

Emmett was looking a little uncomfortable. "You're creeping me out. Stop saying that and tell me what the hell elephant shoe means! Please, Sabrina. I'm going insane here."

I think I was actually catching on. I whispered in Bella's ear, "Does it mean _I love you_?"

Bella smiled and nodded discreetly. Now I was laughing along with the others. Emmett truly is clueless.

Alice must have whispered it to Jasper and he too was laughing.

Emmett was looking at Sabrina expectantly and all she said was, "Emmett. I love you." Sabrina's tone was serious.

"Aarrrgh!! Never mind! I give up! I no longer want to know what elephant shoe means. Elephant shoe is stupid." Emmett crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. He was definitely acting like a four year old now. We were all still laughing at him.

"Emmett, I've been telling you this whole time, you moron. It means I love you." Sabrina finally told him.

"Really? It does? So you don't really love me?" He was thoroughly confused.

"Sure I love you, Em. I just don't _loooooove _you," Sabrina clarified.

"But why does it mean I love you?"

"It just does."

"But _why_?" Emmett wouldn't give up this time.

"Oh, for the love of god, Em. Rylan mouthed _I love you _to me and it looked like he said _elephant shoe_. Okay. That's it. Are you happy? There are no more secrets now." Sabrina was exasperated.

So Emmett and Jasper and I were going through the motions of mouthing _elephant shoe _and _I love you_. Ahh, that makes sense now. I started laughing.

Everyone was looking at me. I was shaking my head. "_Pachyderm foot issues and their solutions._ Nice, Sabrina." She, Rylan and Bella were smiling as they remembered the bogus Animal Planet special.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emmett bellowed putting his hands up. "One weirdo phrase at a time please."

So we hung out at Rylan's house ordering Chinese takeout and watching Seinfeld reruns. Once he finally caught on to the code word, Emmett decided to serenade Sabrina with the song _Joanna,_ tweaking the lyrics a bit.

"Saaa-brriiii-naaa, ele-Phaaaaant shoe. You're the one, the one for meeee!"

It was terrible. We were all groaning.

"Emmett, stop!" Sabrina ordered. "You've completely desecrated that song. That was neither Kool nor the Gang."

Then he went on to destroy Stevie Wonder's song: "I just called, to say, ele-phant shoe."

"Emmett!" we all yelled. I think my ears were starting to bleed. Poor Beau was whimpering, though to be fair it was most likely because he had to go relieve himself.

And much to our chagrin, Emmett still wasn't finished.

"How about this: I think elephant shoe, so what am I so afraid of. I'm afraid that I'm not sure of. Of a love there is no cure for." That got him a smack on the back of the head from Rosalie. He definitely would never be mistaken for David Cassidy.

Rylan finally had to step in. "Emmett, I'm going to go ahead and ask you to stop that please." We all had to laugh at him first for being so polite, and to Emmett of all people, and secondly for doing a dead on impression of the boss from the movie _Office Space_.

We finally called it a night and decided to leave Rylan's house about eight o'clock. It had been a long day between the 1 P.M. start of the baseball game and witnessing Emmett pester Sabrina. Plus, my head hurt from Emmett's singing. As each of us left we all earned an eye roll from Sabrina as we told her _elephant shoe_.

**Sabrina PoV**

The evening took an unexpected turn after everyone had left Rylan's condo. Rylan had gone in the bathroom to shower. He had been on there a while when the doorbell rang. I thought it was one of my friends coming back for something they may have left, but when I opened the door I found it was someone I didn't know at all.

It was a very attractive woman my age. She had dark brown hair like mine, but unlike my chin length wedge cut, hers went down past her shoulders cut in perfect layers. It was one of those hairstyles that always made me envy women with long hair. Hair straight out of those magazines that could inspire anyone to grow her hair out just so she could look as glamorous as the model pictured. She was smartly dressed in dark wash trouser jeans and deep purple blouse. She towered over me in her black heels. She also had a large Luis Vuitton bag hanging off of her elbow. Yes, she was looking quite polished. I suddenly felt inadequate, not even knowing who she was yet, in my favorite old jeans, Chuck Taylor sneakers and Cubs t-shirt.

"Hello," I said politely. "Can I help you?"

I noticed she eyed me up and down before asking, "Is Rylan home?"

"He's busy right now, but he should be out in a moment. Can I help you with something?"

"And you are who?" she asked me in a less than friendly tone.

"Sabrina," I matched her tone. "And _you_ are?"

But before she could answer I heard Rylan from behind me, "Gwen? What are you doing here?" He sounded shocked.

I froze on the spot as Gwen smiled at Rylan and practically knocked me over as she ran in to greet him. I swallowed hard and turned around to see her arms draped around Rylan's neck. Rylan had his arms around her to hug her back. Beau was excited to meet someone new so he was all over Gwen sniffing her shoes, her jeans, and her purse. She didn't appreciate his friendliness that was clear. He would have jumped on her if I hadn't called his name.

"I've missed you so much, Ry-Ry." _Ry-Ry? _What is he, three? I raised my eyebrows at Rylan who was staring right at me. His eyes were wide, conveying the shock I heard in his voice earlier.

They finally tore themselves away from the embrace. I was trying hard to stifle that heavy feeling in my heart at the sight of them hugging. I really hate that feeling.

"When did you get a dog?" Gwen asked with what I interpreted as disgust in her tone.

"He's Sabrina's dog actually," he informed her. I was waiting for him to elaborate saying, oh, I don't know, something along the line of _Sabrina's my girlfriend_, but he didn't.

"Oh," was her response.

Is it me or isn't it an appropriate question to ask who Sabrina is at this point? Maybe that's just me being crazy again.

"Gwen, this is Sabrina," _my girlfriend_, I wanted him to add. "Sabrina, this is Gwen." He didn't need to add _my ex-girlfriend,_ as we all knew who Gwen was.

"Hi," was all I could manage to utter as Gwen smiled at me. Actually, it wasn't a smile exactly. She merely raised both corners of her mouth up for a millisecond before turning her attention back to Ry-Ry.

She tilted her head up at him and asked sweetly, "Ry-Ry, can we talk?" She glanced back at me for a split second before adding, "_alone_?"

Well, I guess that's my cue. Rylan looked at me biting his bottom lip, which he never does. I was chewing on the inside of my lip to keep from showing too much emotion. I wasn't sure what to feel at this point, but I knew I had to get some fresh air.

"Um, I'll just take Beau out for a walk," I said quietly as I moved past them to get Beau's leash. On the way I grabbed my phone, keys, and a plastic bag in case Beau did indeed need to relieve himself. I called Beau to me so I could attach his leash, and I continued to stare at my dog as I made my way back past Rylan and Gwen towards the door.

As Beau and I walked out the door I felt Rylan follow after us. "Sabrina?" he asked quietly. I stopped but didn't turn around to face him right away. "We shouldn't be long. Are you just going around the block?"

I thought a moment. I wasn't sure where we were going. I just wanted to leave. And something inside me gave me the feeling it wasn't going to be quick chat as Rylan expected. I took a deep breath and turned around to look at him. "We'll just head back towards my apartment. Do you just want to call me when you're done?" I asked trying to sound not as sad as I felt. I tried to assess his eyes. They were flat. Where was the sparkle?

He nodded as he came closer to me scrutinizing my expression. "I know you're not happy with me right now. I'm sorry. I'll call you soon, okay?" He leaned in and kissed me softly.

I couldn't bring myself to say _okay_. I clenched my jaw and nodded as I turned around and walked away from Rylan.

I was taking my time walking with Beau. I really needed time to clear my head. As it was, a debate was raging inside my brain. What's new right?

My rational side was trying to convince myself that I shouldn't jump to conclusions because I didn't even know what's going on yet. So what Rylan's ex-girlfriend, whom he was madly in love with before she broke up with him on Valentine's Day, was back at his house right now after showing up without notice? So what?

_So what?_ My irrational side was screaming. _Rylan's ex-girlfriend, whom he was madly in love with before she broke up with him on Valentine's Day, is back at his house right now after showing up without notice!_ _That's so what!_

_Also, he didn't even introduce me as his girlfriend. What the hell was that? He had a couple of golden opportunities to make it clear to Gwen who I was and he didn't. He could have asked me to stay and he didn't. He knew I was upset yet he didn't try to soothe me._

My rational side was trying to fight back. _But he loves me. I mean, he's said it so many times. I've seen it in his eyes. I've heard it in his voice._

_But then again, we've only been together a couple weeks. He's known Gwen and has been in love with Gwen for much longer. That must mean something?_

Then another thought hit me. Maybe my alleged rational side was actually my irrational side and vice versa. Perhaps it was irrational to try to stay calm and the correct reaction _was_ to freak out. Oh my god, I don't know what to think anymore. My head was starting to pound worse than when Emmett was singing. How I wished that was the reason my head was throbbing now. I needed to lie down. I seemed to have walked to my apartment building, and somehow I made it up the stairs and inside the apartment. Thank goodness Bella and Edward weren't in the living room. Beau and I went quietly into my bedroom and I collapsed on my bed with Beau lying at my feet on the bed.

I put my phone on vibrate and held it in my hand as I placed my ear buds on and listened to my iPod.

I stayed up until midnight. He still hadn't called.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N I don't own what Stephenie Meyer clearly owns. Ok, sorry to end on a cliffie. Well, I did get reviews from a couple readers who hadn't reviewed previously so that was good (I'm looking at you, makeitthis and sanglin) . Shout outs to funsize88, mzfam99, Scorpiosue1102, Alekim, Daphodil, JenCullen, LoveUnfailing, Aj79k40, Cdub1220, CullenVsBlack, lashortybx1, xXHazelXxEyesxX, c-jackie, and AmyElizabethCullen who have put my story on alert or saved me as a fave author. Thanks. That's cool. And an extra special shout out to Spritegirl, Phantom-writer, Dazzleme2 and CGarmen for doing all that plus reviewing. The review crew is growing! I wanted to get this out by the weekend so I could concentrate on homework, but it is inevitable that my mind will wander back to the land of Saving Me. I'll update sometime next week after my test Tuesday night, but you never know, I may update again before the weekend. What's my middle name? That's right: procrastination.**

**Chapter 16 EPoV**

Bella and I awoke Sunday morning to Beau's barking and Sabrina groaning, "Okay, okay. I get it you want out. Hold on, Beau-Beau."

"That's weird," Bella said. "I thought she would have stayed at Rylan's last night. I didn't even hear her come in, did you?"

I shook my head. "But you know she's always extra quiet for us. I swear she could be a ninja."

We came out of Bella's room to greet Sabrina and Beau. She was crouched down with her back to us attaching Beau's leash to his collar.

"Morning, Sabrina. When did you come in last night? We didn't even hear you," Bella commented.

"Yeah," I added, "We should give you some Tic Tacs to carry around so we can hear you coming." Bella and I chuckled, but I got no reaction from Sabrina, which was strange. Bella and I gave each other a puzzled look. I shrugged not knowing what was up with Sabrina. She hadn't even said good morning to us yet which was also unlike her.

Finally, she sighed and turned around to look at us. I noticed that Sabrina didn't look very well rested. Usually she wears her contacts, but she had her glasses on today. She usually reserves her glasses for when she's too lazy to put her contacts in or if her eyes were too sensitive for the contacts. Her eyes were a little bloodshot, and she looked like she was thinking hard about something; there was a crease between her eyebrows. She looked pissed off actually.

Bella noticed too and immediately became concerned. "Sabrina, what's the matter?"

Sabrina only shook her head. "Don't ask."

"Why? How come you didn't stay at Rylan's house?" Bella asked.

"Do. Not. Say. His. Name." She said in a warning tone through gritted teeth. Uh-oh.

"What happened?" Bella asked.

Sabrina sighed again. "Look, I need to take Beau out for a walk. Do you want to come with? I need to vent, but I need to get Beau out of here before he explodes."

We nodded. Bella and I changed quickly and left with Sabrina. We headed towards campus to get some coffee and allow Beau to do his thing. We continued to walk around campus until we got to a practice football field. Sabrina let Beau off his leash so he could run around. We still hadn't talked about what happened yet. I didn't know how to broach the subject so I let Bella do it.

"So what happened, Sabrina?" We weren't looking at each other. We were just standing there watching Beau run. Sabrina brought a tennis ball for him to fetch and we were taking turns throwing the ball for Beau.

Sabrina took a sip from her coffee after throwing the ball. "Rylan had an unexpected visitor last night and I felt the need to leave."

Bella looked at me for encouragement to continue. I nodded to her. "So, who was it?"

"Oh, Gwen, his ex. She's gorgeous, by the way. Could stand to be a little more polite, but a stunner nonetheless." Sabrina spoke with a slight edge to her voice. "She wanted to talk to him _alone_." She emphasized the last word and rolled her eyes. "So Beau and I vamoosed."

Bella continued, "And what did she want to talk about?"

Sabrina laughed without humor, "Well, now I wouldn't know because Rylan said he'd call me when they were done, and he has yet to call."

Bella and I looked at each other again, "Oh," we said together.

"Well, Sabrina, it's probably fine," I told her. "Maybe they just got caught up talking about old times and then she left late and he didn't call because he didn't want to wake you," I reasoned.

"Yeah," Bella added, "I mean she knows you're his girlfriend. I'm sure nothing happened."

Sabrina snorted. "And how do you know that Gwen knows I'm Rylan's girlfriend, Bella? Because she sure as hell didn't hear it from Rylan." Bella and I gave her a questioning look. "He never introduced me as such." Sabrina finally looked at us.

"Oh" was all we could say.

"It doesn't look good does it?" She asked pessimistically.

I didn't know what to tell her. Maybe there was a very good explanation for all of this. I'm sure there was a perfectly good explanation, but it certainly did not look good.

"What were the circumstances of their break up?" I bravely asked. I thought it could shed some light on the situation.

"All he has told me is that she thought things were getting too serious and she broke it off. I don't know. Maybe she's a commitment-phobe. Maybe it had to do with her budding career. She's some sort of financial planner I think."

"Was he happy to see her?" Bella asked.

"He looked shocked more than anything," Sabrina answered. "I couldn't tell whether it was the good or bad kind of shock though." I thought that was a good sign.

"So are you going to call him?" Bella asked.

Sabrina looked into the distance at nothing in particular. She seemed to be contemplating the question. "I don't know," she answered quietly. "I don't know what to do. Half of me wants to go over there and demand to know what's going on, and the other half wants to curl up and hide under my covers."

We were quiet a moment just watching Beau, who was now ignoring the tennis ball and very interested in finding a spot to go.

"Uh-oh. I better get that." Sabrina walked down the field to pick up after Beau and to find the tennis ball. As she walked away I took my phone out of my pocket. It had been on vibrate and I was getting some text messages. They were from Rylan.

**R: Sab's not answering. Is she ok? Is she home?**

I texted back: **We r at practice field on campus. Hope u have a gd explanation**

**R: I do. Will she let me xplain?**

I answered back: **Not sure. Sab's pretty upset.**

**R: B there soon**

"Who are you texting, Edward?" Bella asked me.

"Rylan."

"Why?" Bella sounded mad.

"He wants to know if Sabrina's okay. I told him where we are. He's coming."

"Edward! Why would you do that? I don't think she's ready to see him yet. It'll upset her more."

"But he says he has a good explanation. I think she should hear him out."

Bella sighed. "I don't know Edward…Are you going to tell her what you just did?"

Realization hit me. "Crap! She's going to be so pissed at me…" What was I thinking? "Or, she may thank me?" I tried to think optimistically. Bella gave me a skeptical look. "Yeah, she's going to be pissed."

"Who's going to be pissed?" Sabrina asked. Damn! I really need to get her those Tic Tacs. Bella's eyes got as big mine did. We had been looking at each other and not paying attention to where Sabrina was.

"I defer to Edward," Bella said turning towards Sabrina.

"Edward?" Sabrina was looking at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath and turned to her as well. "Sabrina, Rylan texted me…" I trailed off because she pursed her lips and was staring me down.

"What did you do, Edward?"

"He's worried about you, and I told him where we are…He's heading here now." I grimaced bracing myself for Sabrina's ire. Surprisingly, it never came.

"Sabrina, we can go home right now if you don't want to see him," Bella offered to Sabrina while giving me the stink eye. I knew I was in trouble with at least Bella and most likely Sabrina too.

Sabrina was pensive. "Thanks, Bells, but I'll have to talk to him some time. This is a bit sooner than I anticipated, thanks, Edward, but it's as good a time as any I guess. I mean, I could very well be over reacting. The only thing he's really guilty of is not calling, right?"

We nodded. That is true. We were quick to assume the worst, but all we know is that Rylan was dumb and forgot to call. At least I'm hoping he just forgot to call.

"Do you want us to stay?" I asked her.

Sabrina shook her head. "No, but thanks. I'll see you guys at home."

Bella gave Sabrina a hug and wished her luck. I merely waved to her as Bella and I left.

Once we were off campus Bella laid in on me, "What were you thinking, Edward? Sabrina probably needed more time, and you went ahead and invited Rylan to see her all miserable. I can't believe you."

"I know, I know, but I honestly think that was for the best. He sounded really concerned about Sabrina and he said he had a good explanation. What was I to do?"

"Um, how about protect the feelings of one of your best friends at least until she decided to see him herself on her terms."

I nodded. "You're right, Bella. I really thought I was helping though." I was definitely regretting what I had done now.

Bella gave me a small smile and kissed the back of my hand that she was holding. "I know your intentions were good. And so does Sabrina. That's probably why she didn't rip you a new one. Maybe she's saving her strength for tearing Rylan a new one."

I nodded. "Either explanation is very plausible."

**Sabrina PoV**

After Edward and Bella left, I continued to play with Beau. I threw while he retrieved and brought the ball back to me. We had a good rhythm going. It gave me some more time to think about the situation. I scrutinized over every detail I could remember from last night: how beautiful Gwen is, Rylan's shocked expression, the way Gwen draped herself on Rylan, her stupid nickname for him, her sorry excuse for a smile, then Rylan's sad eyes as he realized I was upset, and finally his soft kiss. Then I thought about things that didn't happen, like him not introducing me properly and then not calling. I mean, what did he want me to think? I felt the heaviness in my heart again and a distinct sinking sensation in my stomach. Nerves?

I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to realize Rylan was behind me. Beau, instead of bringing the ball back to me, continued past me. I turned around to find Rylan standing there with a football he was holding on to. His black waves in disarray and his clothes were just as disheveled as mine, but his face was still perfect. From his sad eyes with the small crease between down to his full lips that were slightly pursed, but not in an angry way. Disheveled or not, this man was still fine. _Don't let his looks sway you, Sabrina. Remember, he left you hanging last night. You're pissed!_

Rylan took the ball from Beau, tucked the football under his arm, patted Beau on his head, and then threw the ball impressively further than where Edward and I could throw. Beau ran at break neck speed to retrieve it. "Hey," he said quietly and gave me a small smile.

"Hi," I said just as quietly and returned his smile.

"How's it going, Sabrina?"

I shrugged. "I've been better. You?"

"Same."

"So," I ventured after about thirty seconds of agonizing silence where it was clear to me, Rylan didn't know where or how to begin. "That must've been quite the chat last night, huh?" It came out cheerier than I felt. I held up my hands for him to throw the football to me.

He frowned. "It wasn't that great…" I caught the ball and threw it back to him. "I think you can guess what she wanted."

"To take a peek at your, uh, portfolio?" I asked with a smirk. We continued to play catch with the football while intermittently throwing the tennis ball for Beau. It was a good alternative to having to stare into Rylan's too intense eyes. Also, it was a way to keep a little distance between us until I figured out what was going on. More than anything I wanted to throw my arms around him because I missed him even in the little amount of time we were apart overnight, but I didn't want to seem quite as desperate as I felt.

He smirked back at me, "Something like that."

"Is she aware that you currently have a _financial planner_?"

"I made it abundantly clear that my _portfolio,_ is currently in good hands."

"Oh, really, because she seemed to be under the impression that your _account_ was up for grabs. At least that's what it looked like from my perspective."

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that. I assumed that you would assume that she would know who you were, if that makes sense."

"Well, what time did she leave?"

"About an hour after you left" _What?_

"What? Then why didn't you call?" my tone turned sharp.

"Funny story about that." Yeah right. I'll be the judge of that.

"I'm listening." Skepticism colored my voice.

"Well, Gwen left with my phone. We have the exact same phones see. Hers was in her purse, but she must have thought that mine was hers and took it. It wasn't on purpose. I was going to call you but then I realized I couldn't find it. I was looking all over the house for my phone."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Come on, Sabrina. It's the truth. I only got my phone back this morning. If you look at your email you'll see a bunch of messages from me from the middle of the night." He had dropped the ball and was closing the space between us.

"So you saw her again this morning?" It was a statement rather than a question. Of course he had to have seen her this morning to get his phone back. "Am I really to believe it was an accident?"

"Can we give her the benefit of the doubt?"

"I'd rather not."

"So you'd rather harbor ill feelings towards Gwen?"

"Yes, please," I said brightly.

"How is that supposed to help anyone?"

I shrugged. "I never said it was supposed to help."

"You're above this, Sabrina," he said in a parental tone.

"No, you must have me confused with Bella. See, she's the forgiving one. I, on the other hand, cuss, I give wedgies, and I hold grudges. It's what I do best. I told you before, I'm no saint." He kept looking at me.

"Am _I_ forgiven for not calling?" He gave me the ACHE (Alice Cullen heartbreaking expression). She must be teaching a class on it.

"Well, now I'll have to check my email first won't I? Let me see your phone." I held my hand out for him to hand it to me. His hand lingered in mine as he placed the phone in my palm. I ignored the shiver that went down my spine from his touch. I checked his list of favorite numbers to call. It was just as I suspected.

"Huh," I grunted.

"What?"

"Did Gwen also accidentally erase me from your favorites list or did you do that?" I didn't hide the amusement from my voice though I was far from amused. Rylan opened his mouth but then shut it without saying anything. "That's what I thought."

"Okay, hold your grudge against Gwen," he said sounding defeated.

"Thanks, I think I will."

"So, I'm still on the hook until you verify the emails?" He was looking at me with wide eyes again. I noticed he was still moving in closer to me.

"Looks like it."

"Is there anything I can do to get you to forgive now?" He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

I closed my eyes and smiled. His breath on my skin tickled. "Maybe…" I answered.

I tilted my head to let him trail kisses up and down my jaw line. "What can I do?" he whispered again.

"Mmm. I've got an idea. If you're willing," I said cryptically.

"I'd do anything you ask me to, Sabrina," Rylan said before crushing his lips against mine. I smiled against his mouth before kissing him back zealously. I had to take a breath. He continued to kiss my neck as I got some air.

I slipped my hand into his pocket to give him his phone back. I looked up at him. His eyes were full of desire. I smiled. "Ready, Rylan?"

He had a puzzled look on his face. "Here?"

"Of course. We're here already." I took his hand leading him back to the spot where he had dropped the football. I picked it up and handed it to him. Rylan still was looking baffled.

"Come on, I want to kick an extra point," I said walking towards the uprights. I looked back at him. "Are you going to help me or what, Ry?"

He stood there. His expressions changed from perplexed to shocked to understanding and finally settling on bemused before he actually started following me laughing.

He jogged to catch up to me and then handed me the ball. Once I took it out of his hands he scooped me up bridal style to carry me the rest of the way. "Sabrina," he was looking down at me in disbelief, "you had me ready to pounce on you back there and you want to kick an extra point? Are you a robot? Do you have no human desires?" he feigned hurt.

If he only knew. "Get your head out of the gutter, Ry. We have all day and night for that. Besides, you are about to fulfill one of my greatest wishes. That's a huge turn on. I'll even overlook the fact that you smudged my glasses during that last kiss." I must have been rambling because he was just staring down at me. "What?"

"_All day and night?"_ He smirked.

"Oh, good grief." I rolled my eyes. "Rylan, focus." I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes.

"Oh, okay. Sorry, I'm with you now. But you shouldn't say such things. You don't know what it does to me, Sabrina."

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what it does to you. And I'm not a robot, though they are the future. If you only knew how many times I've had to keep from jumping you myself."

"No way!"

"Uh-huh. You'd be shocked," I told him seriously.

"Hmm. This is very intriguing. So why have you had to stop yourself?" he asked, his tone also serious.

I swatted his chest. "Come on, Rylan. Don't you think it's a bit early into the relationship to get that physical?"

He thought a moment. "Maybe, but don't you think ours is different from other relationships? I mean, the elephant shoe thing alone sets us apart. I've never felt this intensely about anyone before, but I'll wait as long as you need me to."

I smiled up at him, and he bent his head down to kiss me softly.

"Okay, Sabrina, are you ready to kick the football?" He set me down.

Rylan was brave enough to hold the ball for me to kick. I only got dangerously close to injuring him three times out of the twenty or so attempts. I came close to getting the ball through the uprights twice, but overall I sucked. It was fun nonetheless. I even tried punting the ball. That was much easier, that is until Rylan pretended like he was going tackle me right as I was punting. I freaked out, screamed and kicked the ball right at his head. Luckily he has good reflexes and was able to block it. Had it been Bella, I would have decapitated my best friend for sure. Her reflexes? Not so good. We called it a day after that.

"I'm sorry again, Ry," I said for the hundredth time. We were back at his house. We had stopped at my place after the football field shenanigans so I could grab clothes and bathroom necessities. We had lunch with Bella and Edward who were extremely pleased that I hadn't killed Rylan.

I was also able to check my email, and sure enough there were about six messages from Rylan between ten o'clock and three in the morning all saying that he was sorry he couldn't call because he couldn't locate his phone and that he loves me. Rylan seemed smug when he watched me check my email. Like he had proven me wrong or something. I actually did believe him about the emails. It's just more fun to mess with him a bit. He also gave me a weird look but didn't ask any questions when I retrieved my phone from the bottom of my hamper. I had missed ten calls and twelve text messages all from him this morning.

"For the hundredth time, it's fine, Sabrina. I'm the one who scared you." He held me tighter to him on the sofa. We were lying there not doing anything at all, as we had been all afternoon, just enjoying being near one another, especially since we spent last night apart. Beau was quite comfortable himself on the enormous dog bed Rylan got him. Honestly, it looked cozier than my own bed. If I didn't know I'd be sleeping in Rylan's ridiculously comfortable bed I'd be jealous of my own dog.

"I know, but I still feel bad," I mumbled into his neck.

He kissed the top of my head. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Yep." I was about to get up, but for the second time that day Rylan carried me bridal style this time to the bedroom.

"A girl could get used to being carried around like this," I told him.

"If you'd like, I'll carry you everywhere this way."

I laughed. "I don't think it's socially acceptable, and besides, I don't want my legs to atrophy from lack of use. How am I supposed to run then?"

"True. Your legs are too shapely to allow them atrophy. It would be a colossal waste." I rolled my eyes as he set me down on the bed.

"May I have the shower first?" He gestured with his hand for me to proceed. I showered quickly and threw on his football jersey before heading back out to the bedroom.

"Nice!" was his remark upon seeing me wear his number thirty-four. I swatted his butt as he passed me on the way to the bathroom.

Rylan also showered quickly. He came out shirtless but wearing basketball shorts. I was already under the covers. "I love how my bathroom smells after you've been in it. It's like cherry blossoms or something…Sabrina?"

He must have noticed his jersey strewn on the floor next to the bed. "Yes?"

He looked confused. "I thought you were wearing that to bed," he said pointing to the jersey.

"I was. Well, I did…It was itchy," I replied.

"Oh," was all he said at first. It looked like he was trying to work a math problem out in his head. "Ooohhh," he said about five seconds later. And just like that he was on the bed next to me though he was on top of the covers. He was hovered over me supporting himself with his arms. His eyes searched mine for confirmation to the unasked question. I nodded.

"Love you, Sabrina," he whispered. I barely had time to reciprocate my response before his mouth was on mine kissing me more passionately than he's ever kissed me before. I placed my hands on his face holding him to me. His hands were caressing the exposed skin of my neck, shoulders and arms, but it wasn't enough. He broke away from the kiss long enough to remove the covers that were a nuisance in his pursuit to touch the rest of me. As he pulled the comforter and sheets back he took a moment to really take in my form, perhaps to commit it to memory. I was slightly embarrassed and began to bite my bottom lip. He sensed my discomfort shaking his head, "No, Sabrina, you're beautiful," he said softly before he began kissing me again with even more fervor than before. I moaned as Rylan's hands explored the previously draped areas of my body.

That was all the encouragement I needed to shimmy off his shorts and boxer briefs. Well, that answers the underwear question. I looked at him and smiled, "Nice."

**A/N Yeah, that's right!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Steph Meyer is the Twilight queen. I own nothing. Okay, so I got inspired and decided to post early. Way early. So here you are. I really must study the remainder of this weekend though so I won't update again until probably next weekend. Oh, the maroon hoodie is a shout out to Carmelinagunn who wrote If Every Word I Said Could Make You Laugh****, aka IEWIS. If you haven't read her fanfic I highly recommend that you do. Anyhoo, for those of you craving more ExB, here you go. Savor the chapter, kids.**

**Chapter 17 EPoV**

The weeks following the Gwen incident were uneventful, which is a good thing. Who likes a lot of drama in their lives? Not us. Team Sabrina defeated Team Wes in the end of clinics tennis tournament. I think Sabrina is still on a high from that. The countdown to the Emmett/Rosalie wedding extravaganza was on. Alice was burning the midnight oil getting every last detail taken care of for the first weekend of September.

We only had three weeks left until school started back up. We got to see a lot more of Sabrina since Rylan had mandatory practices now. She kept busy after the tennis clinics and dance classes ended by working part time at a children's bookstore near campus. She even got Bella a job there. Somehow those two swindled the owners to give them the same shifts, weekdays nine to one. Once classes start they'd try to work a couple evenings a week.

I've had a lot on my mind lately. Watching Alice plan Emmett and Rosalie's wedding made me think seriously about proposing to Bella. We only have one year left of undergrad then I'll be off to medical school while Bella either pursues a master's degree in English or starts teaching school. The thought of ever being away from my Bella literally pains me, but I'm not sure what she'd think about getting engaged. Massive butterflies in my stomach would somehow replace the pain from the thought of not being with Bella. I love her deeply and she me, but her mother has conditioned her to regard marriage with extreme caution because hers and Charlie's marriage ended so quickly.

I was lying on the sofa in Bella and Sabrina's apartment waiting for them to come home from work. I must have been thinking about Bella and trying to come up with multiple counters to her potential rebuttals to the notion of getting married because I hadn't even heard them come in.

I nearly jumped when Bella kissed my head. I pulled her down on the couch with me when I realized it was her. "I've missed you," I murmured in her ear.

Bella turned to look at me and smiled, "Me too." We continued to kiss only stoppong when Sabrina cleared her throat.

"Break it up, love birds. Not in the common living area!"

I groaned while Bella smiled. "I'd like to shower anyway," Bella said. I gave her one last kiss before she got up to go to the bathroom.

"Thanks a lot, Sabrina. Can't a guy get some love from his girlfriend?"

She laughed as she came out of the kitchen with a couple bottles of water. "Relax, Edward. I actually don't care, but it's amusing how you guys take my comments so seriously sometimes. If you guys get too out of hand in my presence I'll either just leave or gouge my own eyes out." She offered me a bottle.

"I appreciate that. Thanks," I said as I took the bottle of water. My mind drifted back to Bella. I must have been looking pensive and zoned out because Sabrina waved her hand in my face.

"Edward?" I finally blinked realizing she was talking to me.

"What?" I asked.

Sabrina made a face at me. "What's with you? I just had a one-sided conversation about fantasy football. Didn't you hear a word I said?" I shook my head. "And then, I asked how the game was."

"What game?" I was confused.

"Um, the game you were watching when we came in?"

"Oh, great," I answered absentmindedly.

"Great, huh?" Sabrina raised an eyebrow at me. "Since when are you into billiards anyway?"

I made a face. Was that what I was watching?

Sabrina smiled. "No one actually watches billiards. I don't even know why they put it on ESPN. So, what's on your mind, Edward?"

I contemplated for a second about whether or not to tell Sabrina about my dilemma. I opted to tell her. She has wonderful insight into Bella's mind. I looked around to make sure Bella wasn't in earshot. Sabrina mimicked me looking around.

"Bella's in the shower, Edward. She'll be in there for approximately seven more minutes. Spill."

"Okay," I whispered. "I don't know why I'm whispering."

Sabrina was giving me a very worried look. She was gesturing with her hand to encourage me to spit it out.

"I want to propose to Bella…"

"Oh my god, Edward!" She started screaming before I could shush her. Sabrina realized her tone was too loud and immediately cupped her own hand over her mouth but was hopping up and down excitedly, her eyes wide. I had to laugh.

"Calm down, Sabrina." I grabbed her shoulders to get her to stop hopping. I was shaking my head at her, but I couldn't help but smile. "Do you think Bella will react like you just did or will she shun me?"

"What? Of course she's not going to shun you. What are you even thinking about? She will say _yes_. Guaranteed."

I couldn't hide my skepticism. "Are you sure, Sabrina? How do you know? I mean her mom…"

"Edward, chill. Bella has a mind of her own. She loves you. She wants to be with you. Why are you so worried?" She looked at the clock. "Five minutes. Go."

I nodded. It's a race against the clock. "I'm just afraid of how much Renee's views on marriage have affected Bella. She never talks about it, so I'm not sure she'd want to get engaged."

"Edward, believe me, she wants to get married. We talked about this just the other day."

Now it was my eyes that got wide. "What did you talk about? Me?"

"No, not you personally. Well, indirectly I guess. We were talking about Rose and Emmett's wedding and what we'd do for our own weddings. Bella wants simple, of course. I mentioned that your parents' backyard would be an ideal setting for a wedding. She thought about it and agreed. I mean, would she agree to marry some other guy in your parents backyard? I doubt it." Sabrina was smiling at me smiling. She punched my shoulder. "Do you have the ring? How are you going to do this and when?"

"I was thinking definitely before school starts back up. I'd like to do it as soon as possible actually…"

"So you do have the ring! Show me!" Sabrina cupped her hand over her mouth again as we both looked in the direction of the bathroom. The shower just shut off. Sabrina held up three fingers for our countdown.

I put my hand in my right pocket and pulled out the little black velvet box. Sabrina was hopping up and down again as I opened it to show her. She gasped. I took it as a good sign. The ring was a simple platinum band with a single round diamond sitting on a four-prong setting. "It's perfect for her," Sabrina whispered. "Is it the right size?" I shrugged. She looked at me as she made to try the ring on. I nodded my permission. Sabrina placed the ring on her right pinky where it fit just right. Sabrina nodded her approval. "This will fit Bella's left ring finger perfectly," she whispered again as she placed the ring back in the box. "Three quarter carat?"

I nodded again. I gave her a questioning look. How does she know this?

"The three quarter carat is just right. Big enough to be seen yet not too flashy. Well done, Cullen. Oh, and Bella and I have tried on rings together. Believe me, this will fit her." Sabrina sounded positive.

"Why?" I asked perplexed.

"Because I've got these man-hands and my knuckles are all big while Bella's are all dainty. It's a little irritating really." Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean why did you guys try on rings and when?" I was truly curious. Bella never mentioned any of this to me.

"Oh, sorry," Sabrina shrugged. "Um, I don't know. A few weeks ago? It's just something girls do…Oh, she's all done. Put it away." I immediately stuffed the ring back in my pocket. Sabrina mouthed "When?" I shook my head and shrugged.

"What are you guys doing?" Bella asked.

I opened my mouth, but Sabrina was quicker with a response. "Watching billiards. It's not very exciting, but nothing else is on."

"Oh. Billiards? You two must be desperate for sports." Bella came over to me and I pulled her down into my lap.

"I guess we are," Sabrina conceded. "So what are you two up to tonight?"

I looked at Bella, "Did you have anything in particular you wanted to do?" Bella shook her head. "Do you want to go out to dinner?"

"Sure," Bella replied. "Sabrina, do you want to come too?"

"Um, no thanks. I think I'll make dinner for Rylan and myself. I'll head over there in a little a minute. I'll probably stay over so I'll see you in the morning. We can walk to the bookstore together." Sabrina was nodding, I think at me.

"Cool," I said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Sabrina, you and Rylan are getting so serious. I think one of us will be engaged before we know it," Bella chuckled.

Sabrina and I looked at each other for a fraction of a second then at Bella. Both of us at a loss for words. Sabrina had her mouth open slightly though. We both laughed uncomfortably along with Bella.

Sabrina changed the subject. "Oh, Bella, do you have my maroon hoodie? I can't find it."

"Um, I don't think so, but I'll check my closet real quick." Bella got up to go look for the sweatshirt.

When she was out of earshot Sabrina whispered as loudly as she could, "Do it tonight, Edward!"

"Really?" I whispered back. She nodded. "Why?" I asked.

"Because now that you've told me, I won't be able to sleep until I know you two are engaged! Don't pet me through that!" I just laughed and then nodded.

"You're right, I won't be able to think about anything else if I don't to this soon," I confessed.

"No, sorry, Sabrina, I don't have it," Bella said coming back to the living room.

"Oh, thanks, for looking. Maybe I left it at Rylan's. I do have a lot of stuff over there." Sabrina got up to go. "Have a good night you two. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Bella was flipping channels and not looking when Sabrina was saying goodbye, though I made eye contact with her. Sabrina was looking at me severely and pointed at me mouthing "DO IT!" I merely smiled at her.

Later, when we were nearly finished with dinner Bella brought up how Sabrina was acting earlier, and I was trying to assess her feelings on marriage for myself. The butterflies were back.

"Did you notice Sabrina looking a little uncomfortable when I joked about one of getting engaged soon?"

"Um, I didn't notice anything. Why did she act weird?"

"Well, she didn't really laugh right away. I think maybe she will be getting engaged."

"What makes you think that?" My eyebrows were knitted together.

"I don't know. I just have this feeling. Something is…different…" She trailed off.

"Different good or different bad?" I hedged.

"Definitely a good kind of different," Bella replied confidently. I smiled. Alright!

"Then it would be a good thing if Sabrina gets engaged soon?"

"Um, let's say I wouldn't be surprised."

"Me neither," I agreed. "I know they haven't been together that long, but they really do love each other. And if it feels right then it feels right." Bella nodded and smiled. "Are you finished, love?" I asked Bella nodding my head towards her plate.

"Yep."

"Do you want dessert?"

"No thanks. It's a nice night. Let's take a walk," she stole my sentiments exactly.

We walked towards a nearby park talking about school.

"I can't believe this is our senior year, Edward. I still don't know if I want to keep going for my Master's degree or not. I feel like I should know what I want to do, but I don't."

I kissed Bella's hand. "You don't have to make any final decisions about school right this minute. It's good to have options. You know you can always go back to get your Master's after working a few years. I think that's what Sabrina's parents did." Bella nodded.

"Have you narrowed down medical schools yet, Edward?"

I was deep in thought and also very nervous. I stopped walking when we got to a bench.

"Edward?" Bella sounded a little concerned. "Are you okay?"

I swallowed hard. "I'm fine," my voice broke a little. I smiled sheepishly at Bella.

Bella smiled back tilting her head. Her beautiful brown eyes searching mine. "What's the matter, Edward? You seem on edge tonight." She's so perceptive.

I took a deep breath and then took her hands in mine. "Bella, I love you."

"I love you too, Edward."

I smiled and bent my head down to kiss her. Bella's mouth matched the urgency of my own. She wrapped her arms around my neck as the kiss deepened. Bella twisted her fingers in my hair. God, I loved it when she did that. I was stalling. Stalling is wonderful, but I knew what I had to do. Just as Sabrina said that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew Bella and I were engaged, I wouldn't be able to function like a normal person again until I proposed. My nerves were shot. I couldn't go on until I did it.

I finally broke the kiss but continued to hold Bella to me. I kissed the top of her head as I tried to get my breathing back to normal. Finally, I stepped away from her just enough so that she was looking at me. I was trying to ignore how hard my heart was beating against my chest. I inhaled again blowing the air out slowly. Bella rested her hand on my cheek. She was looking concerned again.

I removed her hand and kissed her palm. "Bella, I love you so much that the very thought of being away from you causes me physical pain. So I've decided to never be away from you." My tone was grave.

Bella smiled and spoke softly, "Okay. I don't want to ever be away from you either."

I sighed in relief. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, love…" I kissed her again before continuing. "I don't know where I'm going to med school yet, and I don't know what the future holds for me. All I know is that my future isn't worth a thing to me if you're not in it…"

Bella spoke my name softly. I shook my head, "Please, let me finish, love." She nodded in assent. That's when Bella gasped as I got down on one knee. "It took me four years to realize how stupid I was and that the love of my life, the only woman I will ever see, was right in front of me. I don't know what I've done to deserve your love and trust, but I thank my lucky stars that I have. I never want to be without you. You're my lover and my best friend and I cannot go on another day or even another minute until I know…" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box opening it to reveal the ring earning another small gasp. "Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?" The last part came out as a whisper as I tried to reign in my emotion.

I swallowed hard as I stared into her chocolate brown eyes. They held so much emotion I couldn't read exactly what she felt, but I was very optimistic. Moisture threatened to spill over the corners of her eyes as she nodded before she was actually able to articulate her response. I was over the moon with happiness. I took the ring out and placed it on her finger. Perfect fit. I smiled. I kissed the ring on her finger then the back of her hand.

Bella pulled me up on my feet and I was able to look deeply into her eyes again. "Really?" I asked her.

Bella laughed as tears of happiness finally fell. "Of course," she breathed.

I wiped her tears away with my thumbs. "Bella, you've just made me the happiest man in the history of the universe." I crushed my lips against hers as we spent an immeasurable moment just holding each other basking in the joy we were both feeling.

Somehow we made it back to Bella's apartment. We spent the rest of the evening in each other's arms not worrying about master's degrees or med schools or even telling our family and friends. It was an evening devoted to being together, just us.

The next morning I woke Bella up by trailing kisses up and down her neck, shoulders, arms. I was still grinning. "Wake up, my Bella. Sabrina will be here soon to scream her head off."

Bella groaned. "I don't want to get up yet. Last night was too perfect. If I get up it means I'm letting it go." She is so adorable when she pouts.

"Love, we have the rest of our lives now to be together." I kissed her pout. "But Sabrina has already alerted me via text message. She's en route."

Bella's eyes fluttered open. "Sabrina knew didn't she?" I grinned. "That's why she was acting all weird." Bella was shaking her head. "I knew you guys weren't really watching billiards! Who really watches that?"

We finally got up and dressed and were both enjoying a bowl of cereal when suddenly the apartment door flew open. It was a breathless Sabrina followed closely by Rylan. Sabrina came in and surveyed the scene before her. Bella and I had frozen mid-chew watching Sabrina warily. She didn't say a word as she looked at me then Bella, scanned Bella's left hand and spotted the ring.

Sabrina's grinned was huge as well as contagious. She screamed, "Bella!" and ran over to throw her arms around my fiancé. Wow, I love the sound of that. _My fiancé. Meet Bella, my fiancé._ I couldn't stop the grin forming on face if I had tried.

Sabrina grabbed Bella's hand to pull Bella up out of the chair she was in to look at the ring. The girls were hugging again and bouncing around in a circle.

Rylan came over to shake my hand. "Congratulations, Edward. Sorry, I tried to stall Sabrina, but she's been keyed up all night. I don't think she slept. She even beat me here," he was laughing.

"Thanks, Rylan. I appreciate the effort. Sabrina already warned me that she wouldn't be able to sleep until I did it."

"I know. It was all she would talk about last night. She wore a path in my carpet she was so nervous for you. I actually had to stop her from coming back here last night you know," Rylan was shaking his head.

"Thanks again, then. I owe you one. I know Sabrina can be difficult to contain." We looked over at Bella and Sabrina who were in their own little world talking quietly on the sofa.

Sabrina let out a squeal a la Alice and hugged Bella again. "Of course!" Sabrina yelled.

They finally looked up at us. Both smiling wide. "What is it?" Rylan asked.

"I'm the smurfing MOH!" Sabrina screeched.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Steph Meyer owns Twilight and Midnight Sun, which she's apparently keeping to herself now ( Anyhoo, I couldn't stay away. This chapter was originally longer (close to five thousand words) but I decided to cut it a little. Gotta keep you interested right? Thanks for reading and reviewing, my lilacs and jellybeans. Spritegirl and Phantom-writer have reviewed and mentioned their favorite lines from the last chapter: "smurfing MOH" was their fave. So if any of you readers would like to do that as well, please do so. I'm always interested in what you like best about any given chapter.**

**Chapter 18 BPoV**

As soon as the apartment door flew open I knew I was in for it. Sabrina was breathless as she barged in, that is if you can barge into your own apartment. Edward and I just stared at her as she was scrutinizing our faces, first Edward's then mine. Sabrina's eyes finally settled on my left hand. Her eyes grew wide as she spotted the engagement ring. Her smile was enormous. It made me smile too.

"Bella!" Sabrina screamed and threw her hands around my neck. She pulled me up out of the chair and we started hopping around in a circle. I've never seen Sabrina this excited before. I couldn't believe someone other than Edward and I could feel this strongly about the engagement. Then again, Sabrina knew how much I've wanted to be with Edward. She completely ignored Edward, though I know now that they had talked about all of this the day before.

Sabrina and I sat on the sofa whispering. She asked for details so I had to tell her. "I can't say I wasn't expecting Edward to propose, but I didn't know it would be so soon or even in the manner that he did it. Edward was so nervous though I don't know why. As if there were any doubt that I'd say yes. He was adorable anyway. I've never seen Edward so flustered before. That's one for the books. I can't believe he got down on one knee."

"Whatever, Bella. Edward's only the biggest romantic ever. It's as if he were born in another era. Of course he'd get down on one knee…so what did he say?"

I recounted to Sabrina Edward's exact words and we both just sighed dreamily.

"Bella, I'm so happy for you. I can't even contain my excitement. You two getting married is so right. Oh my god, Alice is going to flip! She's going to want to plan the whole thing. Make sure you tell her what we talked about. Do it your way."

I nodded. "But Sabrina, I need you to help me stay strong around Alice. I know her intentions are good, but she gets so carried away. You're the only person that can really reign her in. Sabrina, will you be my maid of honor?"

That's when Sabrina screamed and hugged me again, "Of course!"

Rylan and Edward had been talking but stopped when Sabrina screamed.

"What is it?" Rylan asked.

"I'm the smurfing MOH!"

Rylan looked confused while Edward and I just laughed. "What's that?"

"Maid of honor?" Sabrina said it as if to imply that there was something wrong with anyone who didn't know what the MOH was.

"Oh, got it," Rylan said. "Congratulations?" He wasn't sure what the proper response was for someone who was asked to be a maid of honor.

"Yes, congratulations is correct, especially since this is a wedding I actually want to be a part of," Sabrina informed him. I smirked remembering how Wes and Sasha asked her to be their maid of honor.

Edward and Rylan came to sit with us in the living room.

"So when will you guys tell everyone?" Sabrina asked.

I looked at Edward as he sat down and pulled me close to him. I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. I was still blissed out from the proposal and our night together to even think about anyone else. I wondered if my mom would freak out, and not in a good way. Charlie would be okay with it I think. Esme and Carlisle and Chera and George would be exceptionally pleased. Sabrina was right. Alice will flip out. So will Emmett. I smiled at the thought of officially being Alice and Emmett's sister.

"Let's go home Saturday to tell our parents. We can even celebrate your birthday early since Emmett and Rosalie will be on their honeymoon. Do you want to call your mom from Forks, Bella?" Edward asked.

I thought about it. It sounded like a good plan, though I was nervous about telling Renee. It had to be done though. I didn't like the idea of celebrating my birthday, however. I hate it when people spend money on me. But trying to convince my family and friends of that is a lost cause. They'll do what they want anyway. I nodded. "Yes, that sounds good. It'll be nice to see everyone before the Emmett and Rose's wedding so we don't steal their thunder."

Sabrina nodded still excited. "Yeah, and I wanted to see my parents and Maisy anyway before school starts. It'll be so fun." She looked at Rylan. "Can you come too?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to see Forks and your parents and Maisy again too. Once the season starts I won't get that much free time so I should enjoy it now."

Sabrina was beaming. She's always happy to spend time with Rylan. She frowned though when Edward and I swore her to secrecy. "Okay, okay. It's only a couple days. I can do it."

Edward told Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett as well as his parents of the plan to go home for my birthday on Saturday. Charlie was also able to get off early. Sabrina's parents were also free on Saturday. Emmett insisted on going out Friday night since I had to have my birthday shot. "It's tradition, you know, Bella." So I agreed to it. The only thing I wasn't happy about was taking off my ring since I didn't want to spoil the surprise yet.

We didn't go to the same club we went to for Edward's or Sabrina's birthdays. We opted for a low key pub that Sabrina and Rylan go to sometimes with Rylan's football buddies. I definitely liked the atmosphere in there better than any fancy club, but I won't dare tell Alice that.

Edward drove Sabrina, Rylan and me to the pub. We arrived shortly after seven and the others joined us soon after.

"What's it going to be, Bells?" Emmett asked.

I didn't get to have the Hypnotic the night of Edward's birthday so I looked over at Sabrina and smiled sheepishly.

"What?" Sabrina asked.

"I think I want Hypnotic."

Sabrina laughed. "Smurf pee it is. Emmett?"

"I'm on it." And he waved down a waitress.

"Am I a pansy now, Sabrina?" I asked her.

"You've always been a pansy, Bella," she laughed, "Sorry, you left that wide open. Nah, Edward's the pansy for ordering it on his birthday, but you're not." I smiled my thanks.

"Hey, wait, Sabrina, isn't that a double standard?" Edward asked pretending to be offended.

"Yes. Yes it is, Edward. Very good." She nodded.

Edward merely shook his head. What do you say to that?

"How are the wedding plans coming, Rose?" I asked.

"Pretty good, I'd say. But confirm that with my planner," and she gestured to Alice.

"Everything is in place. We have to do a final dress fitting next Friday. That goes for you and Sabrina as well," she said sternly. I made a face.

"Cool," Sabrina said. "Shall we make it a girls' night?"

"Yes!" Rose and Alice said together. I made a face again. I foresaw torture in my future. Edward laughed and rubbed my back.

"Hey and we guys can watch some college football Friday night. That works!" Emmett said.

The conversation turned to football rather quickly as Rylan had invited us all to the first home game in a three weeks. I'm not really into football or sports in general, but I've been trying to pay attention to Sabrina when she explains the rules and concept of football to me just to so I can support Rylan with her. Plus, I mentioned some football term that Sabrina taught me to Edward once and he was really impressed. He even said that my football talk was sexy. Hmm, maybe Sabrina was on to something.

The waitress finally brought the round of shots. Everyone had one except for Edward and Rose. Jasper held up his shot glass, "Happy early birthday, Bella."

"Cheers!" everyone else said after. I smiled and blushed as usual.

We talked about Emmett's store and Rose's work before the conversation turned to school for us. Edward was narrowing down his choices for medical school. Jasper was almost done with his master's before moving on to get his PhD. He was going to get to do some research with one of his professors and he was excited about that. Alice was trying to decide on some design schools herself.

"I'm thinking about working a while before going after my master's," I told everyone when it was my turn. "But I haven't decided yet."

"I'm waffling myself," Sabrina said when it was her turn.

"You're going to make waffles, Sabrina?" Emmett asked. I just shook my head.

"No, Emmett, I can't decide whether to change majors or not," she gave Emmett a funny look.

"Oh. But shouldn't _waffling_ mean you're making waffles or eating waffles rather than trying to make a decision? It makes more sense that way don't you think?" Emmett commented.

"That's actually a good point, Em," Sabrina grinned.

"I know, right?" Emmett nodded. He seemed very proud of himself.

"I didn't know you wanted to switch majors," Rylan said.

I have to say, I was surprised myself. "Yeah, Sabrina, don't you want to teach preschool anymore?"

"I do, but I don't want to limit myself. The problem is I'm interested in too many things. That's what I wanted to talk to my parents about."

"What are you thinking of switching to?" Edward asked.

Sabrina smiled, "You guys are going to think I'm crazy…well, _crazier_ I guess. I'm thinking about doubling up on art education and child psych and then a master's in sociology and social work if not med school."

She was right. We were looking at her like she was insane. "Wow," was all I could say.

"What brought all this on?" Edward asked.

"Well, it was a combination of things really. It's due to some of the freaks in my education classes plus my love for art and wanting to work with kids. So, I'm thinking about getting into art therapy as part of the services offered in counseling."

"That's an excellent idea, Sabrina," Jasper said. "Let's hear it for the psych majors!" He bumped Sabrina's fist.

"And med school for…?" Edward asked.

"Pediatrics. Either medicine or psychiatry."

"Wow," Edward mimicked me. "Let's hear it for the pre-meds!" This time Edward bumped her fist.

"What's with the freaks in your classes then?" Rylan asked. I nodded as I was very interested though I had a pretty good idea..

"Well, I had these stupid study sessions with some students in my classes. It was mind numbing. It made me question whether I belonged with them anymore. Remember, Bells, about the standing appointments for study group?"

I nodded again as I explained to everyone. "Sabrina attended a study group every Tuesday night for her Ed300 class. She couldn't stand the people in it though. What did you call them, Sabrina? _A waste of oxygen_? That's so harsh." I laughed.

Sabrina continued to explain. "They never talked about the topic at hand. The sessions never helped me. I ended up having to explain the lectures to them when the subject finally reached Ed300. In the meantime they'd talk about anything else, boyfriends, girlfriends, partying. I couldn't take it anymore. This one girl was talking about how she _literally puked her guts out the night before._" Sabrina used her fingers as quotation marks and rolled her eyes.

"And…" Edward prompted.

"Come on, Edward. She literally used the word _literally_ wrong. I asked her, _Really? You vomited out your small and large intestines?_ She looked at me like I had a third eye."

"You are an elitist, Sabrina," Edward pointed out.

Sabrina made a face. "Where have you been, Cullen? Of course I'm an elitist. I can't stand to be around stupid people. Is that so wrong? And it wasn't just the misuse of _literally_. They would call me like five times on Mondays to confirm if I was going to the study group. It's a _standing smurfing appointment_. There's no need to confirm. Not only were they wasting my time during these alleged study groups they were taking up my time calling to confirm. It was so irritating. So I was like _Why am I with these people? If they have the same major as I do, what does that say about me?_ Also, I think studying art would be more interesting, and with my psych and biology minors I'm practically done with core classes though if I switch majors it means another year of undergrad for sure. Looks like I'm going to be a career student." She shook her head.

We were all just staring at her. I actually did understand her. I nodded. "Yes, Sabrina, that makes perfect sense to me." Sabrina smiled back.

"There must me a gas leak their apartment," Rose said jokingly.

We all laughed. Then my stomach growled, though no one heard it. "You know what, Emmett? Waffles do sound pretty good right about now," I decided.

"Alright, Bella, let's get to waffling!" Emmett smiled.

So we stopped at the grocery store and headed back to our apartment to make early birthday waffles at nine o'clock at night. And we had all the toppings anyone could ever want on a waffle. We were better stocked than the IHOP.

The waffles hit the spot. Leave it to this crew to make waffling on a Friday night seem perfectly normal. After we made the waffles, everyone pretty much spread out eating in any spot available. The guys were talking sports in the living room. Alice and I were looking through some hair magazines to figure out which style I should wear for Rose and Emmett's wedding. Rosalie and Sabrina were in the kitchen getting ice cream since Rose said she wanted some with her waffles. They were in there a while, and when they came out Sabrina was looking very pensive and seemed to be avaoiding me. I noticed her biting her bottom lip, but then she got into the fantasy football conversation with the boys and was looking normal again.

Alice wanted to go through the hairstyles with Sabrina as well so they took the magazines into Sabrina's room while Rose and I talked. Rose seemed on edge as well. I wondered if Sabrina told her about the engagement and she was acting weird because she was also sworn to secrecy. I wouldn't have minded if Sabrina told, but I it's not like her to go back on promises. We just talked about the wedding next week. Once we got to talking about music and decorations Rose, too, was back to normal.

When Alice and Sabrina came back out of Sabrina's room they both seemed weird as well. It wasn't long before Sabrina said she was ready to call it a night and she left with Rylan after we decided what time to pick her and Rylan up in the morning. I did get to talk to her really quickly before they left. We were in her room. She was picking out clothes to take with her to Rylan's. She seemed really distracted.

"Sabrina, are you okay?" I asked her.

"Umm, yeah, why do you ask?" she still seemed a bit nervous as she was searching for a particular pair of jeans.

"I don't know. You seem a little distracted. Did you tell Alice and Rose about the engagement? It's okay if you did. I just want to know."

She made a face. "Bella, of course not! I promised you I wouldn't." She looked a little hurt that I would even suggest it. I immediately felt bad.

"I know, but I just didn't want you to feel stress from trying to keep that a secret or anything."

Sabrina laughed like she had just thought of an inside joke. "Bells, the stress I'm feeling isn't from that necessarily. Don't worry. It's all good. I just need to decompress. I'll see you guys in the morning." I gave her a wary look. "Seriously, Bells. Don't worry. You're secret is safe with me and Rylan," she assured me and laughed again. I felt like I was missing something but I nodded anyways. I was still a little worried about her though.

So Sabrina and Rylan left. Alice and Jasper followed right after, and Rose and Emmett left after them. "We should waffle more often," Emmett said as they left.

Once everyone was gone, Edward went to my room for a second and came back out holding the ring. I still couldn't help but think about what was up with Sabrina, but Edward had other things on his mind to distract me.

"I really need to see this back on your finger, love." He got down on one knee again and slipped it on my ring finger. He kissed the ring once it was in place, and I pulled him back up on his feet like I did the night he proposed. But unlike that night there were no butterflies for either of us. He crushed his lips to mine, scooped me up in his arms and took me to the bedroom never breaking the kiss once. And just like the night of the proposal we kept our focus on each other.

The next morning I woke up in heaven, also known as Edward's arms. I was curled up close to him, resting my head on his bare chest basking in the afterglow. I love how our bodies just fit together, I love the feel of his skin on mine, but most of all I love the way Edward makes me feel like the most beautiful and desirable woman on earth. The very thought of being together for the rest of our lives brought a smile to my face. And there I was smiling against his perfectly smooth skin.

Edward must have felt my lips move. "What are you thinking about, love?"

I sighed. "Just us, together, always."

"Mmm. Good thoughts then."

"Yes, very good thoughts. I can't wipe the smile off of my face when I think about you, Edward," I confessed.

Edward kissed the top of my head. "I know. The same applies to me. And just think, we'll be married soon."

I looked at him. "How soon? Have you thought of a date already?"

Edward grinned mischievously, "Is right now too soon? We could fly to Vegas…"

"Edward!" I scolded. "We would be murdered several times over once we got back. There goes our lifetime of happiness."

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Our family and friends probably wouldn't be too happy with us. I shudder to think what Alice and Sabrina would do. It would most likely be a slow, painful death."

I nodded. "Speaking of Sabrina. Did you notice her acting a little strangely last night? She told me she was a little stressed but wouldn't go into details. It was like she didn't want to hang out with us. She couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"Hmm, maybe she didn't want to stick because she didn't want to let the engagement slip."

"Yeah, but I think there was something more. She told me not to worry. I actually did ask her if she had told Alice and Rose about the engagement. I didn't accuse her of it, and I wouldn't have been upset if she had. I just asked, but I still felt badly afterwards."

"Did she tell? That's not like her," Edward said.

"No, she assured me she didn't. I believe her."

Edward nodded. "Well, we'll see her in a bit anyways. Maybe she's just nervous about talking to her parents about potentially changing her major. We'll get to the bottom of it. She tells us everything."

That's true. Sabrina's never been afraid to tell anyone anything. If something is really stressing her out, there's no doubt she'd spill to us.

Edward and I quickly got dressed. We stopped for coffee before going to pick Rylan and Sabrina up. We didn't need to get out of the car. Sabrina and Rylan were already waiting for us when we pulled up to his condo. I noticed that Sabrina was already wearing her aviator sunglasses, and it wasn't really that sunny. I saw her yawn so she must not have had a restful sleep.

"Edward, she looks tired doesn't she? Do you think they're fighting?" I asked.

"No, he just kissed her. If Sabrina were mad she wouldn't let him anywhere near her. Well, at least we have almost a two hour drive to see what's up."

**Sabrina PoV**

I was feeling wretched as Edward and Bella pulled up in his Volvo. I didn't get much sleep so Rylan didn't get much sleep either. He kept asking me what was the matter last night, and I struggled with myself with whether to tell him. Ultimately, I had to tell Rylan. At least I had permission to do so. I was still anxious though. First it was Edward and Bella swearing me to secrecy, then it was Rose, and finally Alice. My stomach was in knots holding all this information in. I love my friends dearly, but they were truly stressing me out. I didn't know if I'd be able to stay mum for the next couple of hours. As it was, Bella suspected something was up. I'm sure she mentioned it to Edward. I usually tell them everything, but today I couldn't. Not on the car ride anyway.

Rylan pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "Sabrina, relax." He kissed my temple. "Everything will be out in the open soon."

I knew Rylan was right. I just had to get through the next few hours. The question was how? I knew Edward and Bella sensed I had a lot on my mind. They would most likely grill me until I spilled. I couldn't let that happen. They brought Rylan and me coffee. That would make it more difficult to pretend to fall asleep, but I could still use that as a backup plan. I mean I was very tired. I again wore a path in Rylan's carpet last night.

"Good morning, Edward. Bella." Rylan greeted them as we approached the car.

"Hey, guys," Bella and Edward said simultaneously.

Rylan and I got into the backseat. "Morning," I said as casually as I could. "Thanks," I said as Bella handed me a coffee. I took a sip. "Mmm, sweet nectar from the gods."

It wasn't long before we were off to Forks. Edward drives insanely fast so I knew we wouldn't be in the car the full two hours. That's good.

"How was your night?" Bella asked.

"Okay," I answered. "How was yours?"

Bella blushed, "It was good." I smirked a little. I knew what that blush meant. "Didn't you sleep well, Sabrina? You seem a bit tired."

"Actually, I am pretty tired. I'm going to try to nap on the way." Rylan had his arm around me and pulled me tight so I could lean against him. That seemed to work. Neither Edward nor Bella pressed me for information. And Rylan, bless him, struck up a conversation with them about school. I was able to close my eyes and think about the previous night.

**A/N Hmm what could have happened the previous night? Sabrina's flashback and trip to Forks in the next chapter. Forks is always an adventure, no?**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Sabrina PoV

**Chapter 19 Sabrina PoV**

Wow! What a night. Waffling should mean blabbing huge secrets and torturing your friend by making her keep quiet. That's what waffling should mean.

The problem is I'm too observant for my own good. I noticed Rosalie didn't do the shot for Bella's birthday. Not a big deal. She could have just been the designated driver, but then she was adamant about putting ice cream on her waffles. Again, no big wup, but I noticed how many waffles she consumed, which was way more than she normally would. Then she had a weird look about her. Almost a green tint to her skin. She looked nauseated. I wondered why no one else noticed. Later, at Rylan's, I decided that no one else noticed because they were too wrapped up in their own little secrets to notice the things I did. Except for Emmett. Emmett just is exceptionally unobservant in general. When I asked Rose why she looked like she was about to spew the waffles and the ice cream she almost started crying. Uh-oh. Overemotional. That's when I realized it.

"How far along are you, Rose?" I asked her while rubbing her back soothingly. I sure didn't want her to cry right then and there.

"About four weeks. How'd you know? I'm fat already aren't I?" she cried. She sounded frightened.

I smiled and hugged her. "Of course you're not fat! You look beautiful as always. Congratulations, Rose. Aren't you excited?"

"I am, it's just…I haven't even told Emmett yet. I'm not sure how he'll take it."

"Rose, he'll be ecstatic. Over the moon! He'll take it great. You need to tell him."

"I know. I was planning on telling everyone tomorrow in Forks. Do you think Bella would mind me stealing a little thunder from her early birthday?"

I laughed. "Bella would love for you to take away as much thunder as possible. You know how she hates attention." Though she and Edward have a huge announcement themselves, I thought to myself.

Rose smiled. "True…Sabrina, don't say anything okay? Promise?"

"Of course, Rose. You're secret's safe with me...and Rylan. You do realize I have to tell him right or else I'll go crazy?" She nodded her approval. I hugged her again. "If you need anything, Rose, you call me. Okay?" She nodded again.

"Actually, do you think you can ask if anyone has any announcements to make sometime tomorrow, like after the cake or presents or something. I think I'd like to let everyone know that way, all at once. What do you think?"

"Um…I think I can somehow manage that," I was thinking about Edward and Bella and how and when they were going to announce their engagement. I believe it was going to in the same matter. Tomorrow will definitely be interesting.

Rose and I left the kitchen and I had to pretend to be all casual, though in hindsight, I know I didn't succeed. I had to act like two of my best friends weren't engaged and another best friend wasn't expecting. On top of that, Emmett hadn't a clue about Rosalie. And how am I going to nonchalantly ask if anyone had any important news to share at home tomorrow?

I thought the safest place for me at the time would be talking sports with the guys. That lasted a little while until Alice wanted to look through hair magazines with me. She insisted on looking through them in my room where there were fewer distractions. I thought that was strange.

Once in my room we sat on my bed. I started to flip through the magazines when Alice took me by surprise and clutched my arm.

"Oh, Sabrina, I simply have to tell someone!" Crap! What now?

"What? What is it Alice?"

"Jasper proposed!" Oh, my god!

My mouth dropped open, my eyes were huge. I hugged her tight. "Oh, Alice, I'm so happy for you! When did he do it, and how come you're not wearing your ring?" I was genuinely happy for both Alice and Jasper, but I couldn't help pleading with my eyes, _Please not another secret!_

"He did it last night. He was so romantic. We had gone to dinner then he proposed at his place. He had rose petals and candles lit everywhere in his bedroom. We both cried."

"Oh, Alice, that's so great! But let me guess, you're not wearing your ring because you want to keep it a secret until when? Tomorrow?"

"Sabrina, how did you know that? You're amazing! We want to tell everyone when we're home. You don't think Bella will mind that we'd be detracting from her birthday do you?"

I shook my head slowly and swallowed. "No, probably not. Do you need me to do anything to help with the announcement?

"Yes, actually. Wow, you're really good. Jazz and I would love to tell everyone all together. It's the perfect time to do it don't you think? We'll all be together. Oh, Sabrina you can keep this quiet until then, right? Well, you can tell Rylan of course."

I nodded, "Of course. Your secret's safe with us, Alice." I hugged her again.

"Sabrina, you have to be in the wedding. Do you think it'd be okay to have three maids of honor? Well, technically Rose will be a matron of honor since she'll be married herself, but still…"

I let her babble on. I had to get out of there. Not only to decrease the potential of spilling out all these secrets, but just to avoid any more confessions.

I mean what was next? Edward was going to buy a condo by Rylan's and keep that a secret from Bella? Actually, that is another secret, but Edward didn't tell me that. Rylan did later that night. Edward told him to keep it hush hush, but after I had told Rylan about Alice and Rose and Emmett not knowing about the pregnancy yet, and how stressed out I was about tomorrow, he told me about Edward.

On top of all that, I needed to tell my parents about most likely being in undergrad another year, which would put somewhat of a financial strain on them I'm sure. I didn't think they'd really mind, but it was just another point of stress. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't wait for this day to be over.

I finally sat up pretending like I was waking from a nap though I had been awake the entire time. There was a lull in the conversation so I asked Edward and Bella how they were going to make their big announcement.

"Well, we want to tell everyone all together. That saves us from having to recount the story several times," Edward said.

"That's very economical," I pointed out. "Is there anything you want us to do to help you out so the announcement isn't out of nowhere?"

"What did you have in mind, Sabrina?" Bella asked.

I hesitated a bit, "Oh, I don't know. If you'd like I could say something about switching majors and somehow segue to exciting news and announcements, perhaps?"

"That sounds pretty good, actually," Bella consented. Edward nodded.

Rylan gave my hand a squeeze for encouragement as I was trying to work out the logistics of conversation today. I had a feeling Bedlam was going to break out at the Cullen residence once everyone blurted out their news at the same time. It would be a weight off of my shoulders at least.

Once we reached Forks, it didn't take long to get to Edward's house. It looked like my parents were already there. I also recognized Charlie's Cruiser and there was a very fancy BMW parked there as well, which I assumed to be Jasper and Rose's parents' car. Emmett and Rose arrived shortly after we did followed by Jasper and Alice.

Lunch was uneventful, thank goodness. We all just spread out in the open living room and dining room. I introduced Rylan to everyone. Carlisle, Charlie and my dad were talking to him a while. They were very excited about seeing him play in the first home game. I was able to pull my dad away from the conversation long enough to chat with him and my mom about my decision to switch majors. I offered to get a real job to make extra money, but they insisted that I concentrate on school. We'd somehow make it work without having to dip into Maisy's college fund or their retirement. That was a relief.

I headed back to where Emmett and Maisy were hanging out. Maisy had apparently asked him to play Candyland with her. It was so sweet of Emmett to oblige.

"I'm the queen of Candyland, you know, Emmett?" Maisy informed him.

"Oh, yeah, squirt? Well you're about to lose to the king of Candyland."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to their little conversation.

"Do you know how to play Candyland?" Maisy asked Emmett.

He sounded offended, "I just told you I'm the king of Candyland, Maisy. Prepare to be destroyed, squirt!"

Maisy made a face. "Don't call me squirt!"

Emmett laughed. "What do you want me to call you then?"

"Bus driver," Maisy replied simply. I couldn't stop the smile forming on my lips. I knew what was coming next. I taught her this myself.

Emmett made a face, "Why should I call you bus driver?" He was falling for it perfectly.

"Because," Maisy explained, "I'm gonna take you to school!"

"That's my girl!" I said high-fiving Maisy. Everyone was laughing, except Emmett of course.

He made another face, "You are so going down, bus driver!"

"Emmett," Jasper asked," You do realize that you are trash talking a four year old?"

"Age ain't nothing but a number. Besides she started it."

Rose was shaking her head, "Very mature, Emmett."

Rose looked at me rolling her eyes at her fiancé. It was a little hard to believe that the same man who was talking smack to my little sister over a game of Candyland was also a soon to be daddy. I winked at her and laughed.

Emmett and Maisy played a couple games. Emmett won the first one. He gloated, of course.

"Emmett, you're bragging over beating a four year old at Candyland," Edward pointed out.

"Whatever. _Maisy's_ not hiding behind her age. Besides, she's got thick skin. Sabrina's her sister, remember?"

Edward looked at me, "Are you going to let him make fun of your sister for losing?"

I shrugged, "The kid's gotta learn how to lose sometime. Life can be harsh, right, Maisy?"

"You can't win them all," Maisy quoted matter-of-factly.

"That's right," I agreed.

Maisy ended winning the second game anyways. She, however, was a very good sport and didn't rib Emmett. She instead shook hands with him like she'd seen me do so many times at the end of tennis matches.

Soon we were singing Happy Birthday to a blushing Bella. Esme was distributing cake, and I, once again, was helping with drinks.

"Emmett, want a pink lemonade?" I teased.

He scowled at me, "I will take an unopened can of _anything_, thank you very much!" We couldn't help but laugh.

"Wise choice, my friend," I said.

Once everyone was served I took a deep breath as I made eye contact with Rylan. He nodded and winked at me for encouragement. I was in the middle of all of my friends who probably thought I was referring to them individually when I said, "Okay, it's show time!"

I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention. I was nervous again for the first time really since the car ride. At least Emmett and Maisy had taken this task off my mind for a little while.

"Can I get everyone's attention, please," I started. All eyes were immediately on me. I looked around. Rose, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella and Rylan were all smiling encouragingly at me. "I have something to say." I took another deep breath before I continued. "First, happy early birthday to Bella," I turned to her and smiled. She, of course, blushed.

"So obviously we're celebrating Bella's birthday early because we wanted to be all together since Rose and Emmett will be on their honeymoon during Bella's actual birthday. Of course, the wedding is next weekend and we're all excited about that, but, not to take any attention away from the wedding or Bella's birthday, there are a few more exciting pieces of news to share with everyone."

I had emphasized _a few_ drawing curious looks fromall of my friends, minus Emmett. I smiled. "I have to confess, I've been going a little crazy…okay, a lot crazy the last couple of days because I've had to keep some very juicy secrets from my best friends. Today, these secrets will be revealed and I can finally get some sleep tonight. Are you guys ready?" I asked looking around. Everyone was nodding. There were a lot of confused faces.

"I somehow became a confidant and now the point person so I am asking that everyone hold their applause until all the news is announced. So here goes: Edward, Bella?"

I looked at them. Edward nodded. "Bella and I are engaged."

A collective gasp was heard from all the women in the room. Alice's jaw dropped. Esme was beaming and near tears. My mom and Bella were smiling pretty big as well. Rose cupped a hand over her mouth in surprise.

"When?" I heard someone ask.

I put up my hands as if I were stopping traffic. "Wait, please. There's more. Alice, Jasper?"

Alice was bouncing out of her chair, "We're engaged too!"

"What?" "When?" I again held up my hands.

"Wait, there's more," I looked at Rosalie and smiled at her supportively, "Rose, Emmett?"

Before she could say anything, Emmett jumped in. "You guys already know _we're_ engaged!" He looked confused.

"But what you don't know, Emmett included," Rose said looking at Emmett and taking his hand, "is that we're…expecting."

Emmett's eyes were suddenly huge as his jaw dropped. There were a few, "oh my gods" uttered throughout the room.

Finally all eyes were on me again as the room suddenly became quiet. "Um, I've got nothing more to add except, thank goodness I don't have to keep any more secrets, and you can all go crazy now!"

And then the room was abuzz with excitement. There were hugs, slaps on the back, congratulations, and tears of joy everywhere. Poor Esme was just beside herself with happiness. She didn't know who to hug or congratulate first. Plus, she couldn't see clearly through her tears.

Bella and Alice felt relief to be able to wear their engagement rings proudly. They were embraced and hopping around much like Bella and I were doing the day after the proposal before being accosted by the other women to get a good look at their rings.

Charlie hugged Edward and whispered something to him. Edward nodded and shook Charlie's hand. Charlie's never been a touchy feely person, but today he was. He even hugged Alice and Rose congratulating the both of them before shaking hands with Emmett and Jasper and the Hales as well as Carlise and Esme. He even hugged my parents since he was on such a roll.

Rylan and I just kind of hung back and watched everything unfold before us. He put his arm around me pulling me close. I couldn't help but smile from all the joy in the room.

"How cool is this, Sabrina?" Rylan asked.

I shook my head. "Cool doesn't even begin to cover it, Ry."

Rosalie came over to sit on my other side, tears spilling down her face. I hugged her, "Thanks, Sabrina," she said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For keeping my secret along with everyone else's. You're a great friend!"

I smiled. "Takes one to know one, and don't make me cry, Rose!" Oh, too late! I was wiping away my silly tears when Edward and Bella and Jasper and Alice joined us.

Alice simply gave me the ACHE causing me to laugh. "Was I the third to swear you to secrecy?" she looked guilty.

"It's fine, Alice. Though I have to say this was definitely harder than keeping a code word hush hush. I don't think I could have gone a week like I did with _elephant shoe_. I didn't get any sleep last night."

Rylan nodded, "True story."

"I knew there was more to it than our engagement. You can't fool me, Sabrina," Bella said.

"Sorry, Bells, I was about to burst last night. I had to leave before I spoiled everyone's surprise. Don't you guys ever do that to me again!" I warned.

Emmett finally came over to complete our group. "Hey, big daddy!" I greeted him.

"I know. Can you believe it?" He was shaking his head in disbelief. He pulled Rose up only to take her spot next to me while pulling her back down into his lap.

"Em, if your fathering skills are anything like your trash talking skills, you're going to make a great dad," I told him kissing his cheek.

"Aww, thanks, Snappy!"

"Say cheese, kids," Esme ordered as she stood in front of us with a camera. We did as we were told as she snapped a picture. Esme later made copies and framed that picture for each of us. My heart just about bursts every time I look at it.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N I don't own Twilight. Oh well. So good news, my paper that was originally due next week has been pushed back, thus, I am able to procrastinate a bit longer. It's a win-win for you and me. So this is a short-ish chapter, but beggars can't be choosers. I actually enjoyed writing this one. I hope you enjoy it and don't send me death threats. That's all I'll say for now. Please welcome I'myoursweetestgoodbye to the Review Crew. **

**Chapter 20 Sabrina PoV**

We were in Forks longer than anticipated, of course. Once the cat, I mean cats-plural, were out of the bag, it was pure mayhem. This is going to be an insane year. I cornered Edward in the kitchen to let him know that I knew about the condo, but that it was an easier secret to keep after the madness of the last couple of days. He said he felt bad for me after they all found out how I was sworn to secrecy three times over.

"I don't think I could have handled the pressure personally. I'm glad it was you and not me, Sabrina," he said.

"Yeah, a pansy like you couldn't have dealt," I teased.

Bella was floored to learn about Alice and Jasper, but she was really excited about Rose's pregnancy. "I'll get to be an auntie!"

And Emmett as a dad…it could work. Well, it had to work, right?

Esme was beyond excited. She was like a child on Christmas. Two engagements and a pregnancy all at once. I'm surprised she didn't have a heart attack. Having everything announced at once was wonderful and crazy at the same time. It couldn't have gone better, I don't think.

Charlie really surprised Edward. Edward wasn't sure of what Charlie's reaction would be, but he was very pleased.

When Charlie hugged Edward, he told him to take care of his little girl or else. Edward merely nodded and shook Charlie's hand to thank him for his blessing.

Bella did call Renee while we were in Forks. She was very nervous about telling her mother, but I assured her that Renee would be fine with it. In fact, Renee had already been very supportive of their relationship. Renee had known about Bella's feelings for Edward throughout high school so she was very happy to learn that they were dating finally.

"An engagement is different though," Bella had said. Renee's view on marriage at our age was pretty much started and ended with "don't do it," at least that's what Bella will have us all believe.

I, however, told Edward confidentially that Renee called once when Bella wasn't home so I talked with Renee a while. This was after Bella and Edward had started dating. I pretty much asked Renee how she'd feel if Bella and Edward were to get married. I laughed at the look Edward had on his face. He was mortified when I had told him this, yet he was also extremely curious as to what Renee thought.

Anyway, the bottom line is that Renee thinks highly of Edward, despite his idiotic lapse in judgment when he dated Tanya, and that Bella and he are very deserving of each other. It was hard for Edward to believe at first, but I reassured him that "that was how the conversation went down," so ultimately, he believed me.

Once again, I was right. I don't know why my friends doubt me. You'd think they'd know by now. Anyway, Renee was very happy to hear about the engagement, and was very surprised and elated about Alice's engagement as well as Rosalie's pregnancy. Her acceptance and excitement fit in with the rest of the family's.

So the wedding was only a day away when the girls and I went for the final dress fitting. I honestly don't know why we had to go except maybe to torture Bella, because the dresses were perfect from the fitting three weeks prior. Even Rose's dress was still fine and she was over a month along already.

I suppose it made for a good excuse to spend some time together, just us girls. Anymore, when we were together the guys were with us. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but hanging with just the girls is always fun. After the dress fittings we had dinner at a Greek restaurant. Alice arranged for a limo, much to Bella's and my chagrin. I would have been happy to drive all of us, but Alice will be Alice you know.

After dinner we headed over to a spa that Alice had reserved just for us for a few hours. We got facials, manicures and pedicures all at the same time. Alice also made sure we took care of any waxing that needed to be done before heading home to Rosalie's where the guys were watching football on Emmett's big TV.

On the drive to Rosalie's our conversation turned a little emotional to say the least.

"Are you nervous, Rose? For tomorrow?" Bella asked.

"Not really. I know Alice has taken care of everything. It'll all be perfect. I'm more nervous about having a baby. What do I know about taking care of a baby?"

"Give yourself some credit, Rose. You were there when Maisy was little. All of you were, and you guys were great with her. It's all instinctual anyway," I said. "It'll all come naturally. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right, Sabrina, because as of right now, I have no smurfing idea what I'm doing!" Rose laughed.

We all laughed as well. I don't think I can swear properly anymore after all the smurf talk.

"It's so weird," I mused. "You girls will all be married soon. It's crazy how things change in a matter of a few years." I frowned. "Didn't I just move to Forks? Weren't we just at prom? And when did we all become grown-ups anyway?"

All of a sudden Rose started crying. Alice put her arm around Rose. "What is it, Rose? Are you okay?" Alice asked voicing Bella's and my concern as well.

"I…love…you…girls!" She sniffled. "I'm…going…to…miss…you!"

I looked at her in surprise and confusion. Alice and Bella shrugged. "Are we going somewhere, Rose? What do you know that we don't know?" She made it sound like we'd never see each other again.

Rose shook her head and continued to cry. "It'll…be…different…once…everyone's…married. It's…different…already."

We sat there silently as we allowed Rose's words to sink in. She was right. Rose and Emmett pretty much already had their own life outside of our friendship. Alice and Jasper did too for that matter, even before they got engaged. And the only reason I saw Bella so much was because we lived together and worked together, and even then the two of us didn't hang out as much as we did before Edward and Rylan were a significant part of our lives. But soon she'd be moving out because Edward bought that condo and was going to surprise Bella on her real birthday. My best girlfriends had already left or were about to leave me behind. Sure we'd see each other occasionally to celebrate each other's birthdays and on holidays and perhaps the sporadic ugly sweater party. Is that what our friendship was coming to? Treating each other like distant relatives? I always thought of them as permanent fixtures in my life.

I had flashbacks of high school when we girls had our slumber parties. We'd watch chick flicks and gorge on food we swore we'd never eat in front of other people. We bore our souls to each other about love and life. We knew each other's deepest wants and fears. They were there for my wins and losses in tennis and soccer. We knew when each other's significant others said _I love you or elephant shoe_ in my case.

Even when Emmett and Rose and Alice and Jasper got really serious and paired off, Bella and I were still tight. I was there when she had decided to ask Edward to prom and my shoulder was the one she cried on when we realized Edward was dating some girl named Tanya. When Bella witnessed Edward kissing Tanya at prom we hated on Tanya together. We lived through Tanya-gate together last spring. Bella was there for all the shenanigans with Wes and Sasha. We spilled to each other about her first kiss with Edward and mine with Rylan. Later, we spilled to each other about our first time.

Overwhelming melancholy washed through me. I suddenly felt so alone. Before I could stop them, tears were streaming down my face. I made no attempt to wipe them as I looked at Alice and Bella. They were crying as well. All I could think was _How am I going to live without my girls? _I started to cry harder, almost as hard as Rose.

"I'm…going…to…miss…you…girls…too!" I sobbed.

"Sabrina…we're not going…anywhere," Bella cried.

"Yes…you…are…You're…all...getting…married…and…leaving…me!" I blubbered.

"Don't…say…that!" Alice bawled.

"But, it's…true," I whimpered. "What…am…I…going…to…do…with…out…you?" I managed to say between sniffs.

"I swear…nothing…will…change," Bella sniveled. "We'll…annoy…each…other…the same…as…always."

Alice nodded vehemently.

"Promise?" I asked with my bottom lip quivering.

Bella and Alice both reassured me, "Promise!"

We three looked at Rose who was still crying. We held expectant expressions. Finally she sobbed, "I'm going to get faaa-haat!"

And just like that Bella, Alice and I stopped bawling and started to laugh hysterically.

"Stop laughing at me!" Rose screamed and laughed simultaneously causing us to laugh harder.

We suddenly heard a male voice which sobered us up. "They've. Completely. Lost. It." It was Emmett.

We girls had been so involved in our emotional meltdown that we hadn't noticed that the limo arrived at Rose's house. The lights of the limo apparently alerted the guys of our arrival, and they came out to check on us when it was evident we hadn't left the vehicle. The driver had put down his window to allow the guys to observe our humiliating display of emotions.

I was suddenly mortified. The other three girls may have been mortified as well, but at least they've already got promises of forever from their men. Rylan was still free to run for the hills, which I was convinced he would do after witnessing an unadulterated psychotic female sobfest turn comedy episode. I'm positive circus sideshow freaks have nothing on us. Forget the fatlady, the midget, the contortionist, and the guy who swallows jagged shards glass and swords. Come see the estrogen bound gals from Forks: Preggy, Pixie, Klutzy, and Crazy. We drink smurf pee and scare people pretty much by just being ourselves.

Suddenly, the door opened and a hand appeared for me to grab. I took it and was pulled out of the limo into the arms of a certain running back. I looked up and smiled at him sheepishly. I'm sure I looked a mess. Rylan smiled back shaking his head, "What am I going to do with you?"

I shrugged. "Are you strong enough to be my man?"

Rylan pursed his lips and scrunched his eyebrows together. "I think I can handle it." He kissed my nose. "Come on, you're missing kick-off." He led me inside Rose and Emmett's house where the TV was still blaring from when they left it to check on the crazy ladies out in the limo.

I looked behind me and saw the other couples trailing in behind us. Each couple sat down on the various sofas and loveseats. Someone turned the sound down on the TV but not another word was uttered about our hysterical, in more ways than one, exhibition.

Perhaps the guys understood why we girls were so emotional. Maybe they felt the same way we did but were way too manly and macho to cry like little girls about it. The silence in the room wasn't awkward. It was peaceful actually. We were content to be there together at that exact moment in time.

I dug through my purse to find my iPod. I scrolled down to find what I was looking for. Once I found favorite playlist, I placed the iPod on the dock to play "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. And we sat there quietly in the arms of the loves of our lives, in the company of our best friends, letting the lyrics sink in.

It wasn't until after a few Jimmy Eat World songs that we finally started mingling again. The conversation turned light and casual. I was actually paying attention to the football game that was on. Soon it was almost midnight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day especially for Rosalie so we decided to leave. We girls hugged, kissed cheeks and whispered elephant shoes to each other, promising to see each other in the morning since we were getting ready together for the wedding. The guys merely slapped each other on the back and shoulder and grunted their "see ya's."

Once Rylan and I got to his place it didn't take long for us to get ready for bed. I had been waiting all day to get back here to the spot I loved, the crook of Rylan's neck.

"So, I still haven't scared you off," I noted.

Rylan chuckled knowing good and well what I was referring to. "You're going to have to try better than that to scare me away, Sabrina."

Hmm. He's got a pretty strong stomach I guess. "Just out of curiosity, how much of our freak show did you bear witness to?"

"Um, it was probably when Bella said something about annoying each other like always. Did we miss much more before that?"

"Nope, that was pretty much the gist of it."

"You girls are so funny. You do realize Edward and Bella will be living right next door to us, right?"

_Us? _ Did he just say _us_?I looked at him incredulously as I leaned on my elbow. "_Us?" _I replayed his words in my head _living next door to us. Us. _No lie, my head was spinning. I was actually a bit dizzy.

Rylan looked at me earnestly, "Well, yeah. Isn't that the next logical step for us?"

I put my head back down in the crook and thought about it. Was it the next logical step? When have I ever been logical? Who's to determine what _logical_ even means?

"Sabrina?" he asked. "What are you thinking about? This does make sense to you doesn't it? I want you to move in with me. Hell, you're here most of the time anyways. Why not make it official?"

I took a deep breath. Of course I would love to move in with him, but…

"Can you give me a good reason why not?" Rylan challenged.

"Um, right off the top of my head? I can think of a couple. Here's one: my parents would kill the both of us."

"Come on, Sabrina. You're twenty-one. You can make your own decisions without having to worry about your parents."

"Actually, Rylan, I do have to consider my parents at this juncture in my life seeing as they are still supporting me. I believe that gives them the right to still boss me around a little regardless of my age."

"Are you telling me that you don't want to move in with me?"

I shook my head. "I didn't say that…"

"So you do want to move in here then?"

"Yes, but…"

"But what?" he was starting to sound irritated.

"Rylan," I said sternly, "I love you. But I can't. Can we drop it?"

Rylan was definitely irritated. We don't fight. Ever. There was never a need to fight. I'm always right. Well, Rylan always gave in to me anyways. He didn't say a word. His muscles were all tensed up, and his breathing was shallow.

Now I was irritated. Why did he even have to bring this up? I started to get up. "Do you want me to leave, Rylan?" There was a definite edge to my tone.

He still didn't answer though he shrugged his shoulders infinitesimally.

I smirked though I was far from amused. Unbelievable. "Very mature, Rylan." He watched me get dressed as I fumed. "You know, you just proved my second reason right." The second reason which I didn't get a chance to voice yet because he didn't give me a chance to and also because I didn't want to admit it out loud. I grabbed my purse and keys.

Thank goodness my car was parked in his drive. I sure didn't want to walk home alone right now. I made my way to the front door. I had one foot out the door when I heard him ask me, "What was your second reason, Sabrina?"

I swallowed hard and blinked back tears before they were able to fall. I turned to look at his tortured expression as I answered with a clenched jaw and an even tone, "Because if we were ever to break up I wouldn't have a place to go back to."

I turned away and closed the door before he could say anything in response. I backed out of his driveway and was driving off when I noticed him through my tears standing outside his front door watching me leave.

**A/N Uh-oh. Yeah, that's right. A bit of a cliffie. I've noticed that I get more reviews when I have the cliffies. Not sure when I'll update yet. I guess it'll depend on the Review Crew. Anyone care to join??**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Once again, I don't own Twilight or the characters related to Twilight. Well, here's chapter 21. Thanks for the reviews from the RC (review crew) and welcome to the newest member of the RC, Skimmboardergurl. Also, more people put me and my story on alert so thank yous to ice1901 and Skimmboardergurl. Special elephant shoes to Phantom-writer and Spritegirl who have been reading from pretty much the start. I'm not sure how much longer to keep this story going, but I think a pregnant Rosalie is going to be pretty hilarious. Anyhoo, enjoy and review please!**

**Chapter 21 BPoV**

I woke up from the sound of the apartment door being unlocked and the smell of coffee wafting through the hallway. I felt Edward's body next to me so it had to have been Sabrina. I glanced at the clock. It was two-thirty in the morning. We weren't due at Alice's until nine. I wondered why Sabrina came home. I thought she'd be staying at Rylan's as usual. I could only assume Sabrina was hyped up for the wedding. I didn't' hear her go to her room.

We didn't get to bed until almost one, so neither Edward nor I wanted to get up. In fact, when I nudged Edward he merely groaned and went back to sleep. I decided to get up so I wouldn't feel like a bad friend for wanting to sleep in instead of being excited about the hours of styling that was in my very near future.

When I got out to the living room, Sabrina was lying on the sofa staring at the ceiling.

"Sabrina, why are you here?"

Sabrina smirked. "I live here."

"But why aren't you asleep at Rylan's? Are you that excited about the wedding?" I knew she was happy for Rosalie and Emmett, but not enough to actually forgo sleep.

"I wish. I mean, I'm excited and all, but that's not the reason I'm here. I'm just thinking." She sat up and reached for her coffee. She made a face after she took a sip. "Call me a coffee snob, but gas station coffee sucks."

"What's up," I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Sabrina rolled her eyes and made a face. "It's dumb. I don't want to bring you down with me so don't worry about it. I'm trying to get my head right and get through the day without spoiling the happy wedding vibe. You can go back to sleep. We've got six hours still."

"No way. I'm up. Now spill."

So Sabrina recounted their little fight for me. I thought it was weird that Rylan would ask her out of nowhere to move in, but then again, I'm not in his shoes. It is apparent how much he cares for Sabrina. I'm trying to figure out the real reason she said no. It's not like her to be insecure.

"I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you," Sabrina said. "It's not insecurity, Bella." I narrowed my eyes at her. "It's not. Don't confuse being smart and looking out for myself with being insecure. In fact, I would argue that only an insecure Sabrina would move in with Rylan in fear of losing him otherwise." She held her hands palms up as if to rest her case.

"You're speaking in the third person now, Sabrina?" Edward asked groggily as he walked into the living room and joined us.

"Sorry to wake you, Edward."

"What's going on?" He asked yawning. "Why are you here?"

"Geez, can't I come back to my own apartment with rousing suspicion? And I'm speaking in the third person only to get my point across. Bella thinks I'm insecure."

"Because you don't want to move in with Rylan," I qualified.

Edward froze for a split second. "He asked you to move in with him?"

"Yeah, out of nowhere," Sabrina said pointedly. Edward nodded in understanding. "And I said no and now he's all mad so I left." She sounded remorseful, but explained about Rylan's shoulder shrug. "How would you interpret the shrug? What was I supposed to do?"

"Tell Edward what your reasons were, Sabrina," I said.

Sabrina made a face. "Well, the first reason was that my parents would kill me." She paused to check Edward's reaction.

"That's possible, but you never know. Your parents are pretty progressive, Sabrina. They realize you're an adult and can make your own decisions. So did you have another reason?" Edward asked.

Sabrina nodded. "Well, first, understand that I was pissed when I said this and I worded it all wrong, but basically I wanted to keep this apartment because it's a symbol of my independence."

I had to jump in. "Your words were along the lines of 'if we broke up I'd have a place to go.' Right?"

Edward pursed his lips.

"All right. In hindsight it was the absolute wrong way to say that, but do you appreciate the fact that I'm not moving in just because he asked me to? I mean, isn't it wrong to move in with Rylan because I'm afraid to be alone?"

"Sabrina, it boils down to this: do you want to live with Rylan? Yes or no?" I asked her.

"I don't know," she answered feebly. I raised an eyebrow at her. She wrinkled he nose as I continued to stare. "Maybe…I think so…It'd be okay…" She sighed, finally giving in. "Yes."

"Then why did the argument even happen?" Edward asked. "Sabrina?"

We both were looking at Sabrina who was frowning but thinking very hard before finally taking a deep breath and getting up. "Actually, I never said I didn't want to move in with him. I just said that I wouldn't..." She seemed to be thinking some more.

"You guys completely flipped the script on me here. _I'm _supposed to be the voice of reason. I have to go." She gave us both a hug. "Thanks, guys. Sorry to wake you and then to keep you up. Bells, I'll meet you over at Alice's at nine." And she left.

"What just happened?" a confused Edward asked me.

I smiled. "I think we just got Sabrina to realize that she was _wrong_. This is one for the books, Edward." I was actually quite proud of myself.

I noticed Edward was eyeing me. A crooked grin formed on his perfect lips. "What?" I asked.

"You are adorable when you're gloating," he said as he kissed my forehead, my temple, my cheek and then settling on my neck right behind my ear causing my entire body to react.

I grabbed his hand and started back to my room pulling a very eager Edward behind me.

**Sabrina PoV**

So I drove around for a little while before heading back to my apartment. What was wrong with me? This perfectly wonderful man whom I claim to love asks me to move in with him and I not only turn him down but walk out on him? My head needed to be examined.

I felt bad waking Bella and Edward up, but they actually helped me to figure the situation out and face it head on. I knew I had to go back to Rylan's.

I really didn't believe I was acting on insecurity, but let's call a spade a spade. I was a coward. While I didn't want to own up to it, I knew I had to. Like they say, admitting it is the first step to recovery. But why was I so scared?

It's clear Rylan loves me and I him. I did want to live with him, but something, I don't know what, was holding me back. Was it because deep down, I felt he was too good to be true? No one's ever felt about me what he feels. It's unbelievable to me that someone as wonderful as Rylan actually loves me that much and would want me around, like all the time. Did I fear that this was all smoke and mirrors and one day it would be over? Maybe. It was a small fear, but it was still there. Did I want _him_ around all the time? I thought about it a moment. Yes, I would. I had to get over that little fear thing. I had to take a risk.

But what will my parents think? Ours is a very young relationship still. Would they think we're both stupid kids? No, I can't worry about what they or anyone else thinks. I have to decide what I want and everyone else's opinion be damned. I loved Rylan, and I really want to be with him. Who cares that we haven't know each other that long in terms of time, but when it comes to a mental, emotional and physical connection, it's like we've known each other forever. I never told anyone this, not even Bella, but the night of the slumber party with Maisy and Layla I decided that night that I was going to marry Rylan. I've never spoken that out loud and still won't in fear of jinxing myself. I joked about it in the grocery store that one day but the way he was with the two little girls coupled with his love for me, and factor in the tiramisu, I've got myself the perfect man.

I turned off my headlights as I pulled into Rylan's driveway. I entered as quietly as I could locking the door behind me. I walked to the big sofa not needing to turn the lights on. As I sat down I heard Rylan say, "Hey, Sabrina." He wasn't loud but he caused me to yelp a little and jump up right away when I realized I sat on his lap.

Rylan reached over to turn on a lamp. He was sitting up and chuckling at the sight of me clutching my heart. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay. I'm fine." I sat down at the end of the sofa facing Rylan. I gave him a small smile as I kicked my shoes off and pulled my legs up to my chest resting my chin on the tops of my knees.

"Are you?" he asked quietly.

"I wasn't before, but I am now," I replied. "How are you?"

"I'm lying on the sofa in the dark at almost three in the morning pissed at myself for upsetting you. I could be better."

"Why aren't you in bed?"

He smiled at me ruefully. "I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep in the bed without you."

I scooted closer to him and reached out for his hand. He held it out for me to take. I held his hand in both of mine rubbing circles into the back of it. I finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Ry. I was an idiot and a coward, and I shouldn't have left like that."

Rylan opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand to stop him. I needed to get this off my chest. "Let me say this while I have the nerve to please." Rylan nodded. "I did a lot of thinking and I've realized that I was…wrong. It happens occasionally." I looked at him and gave him a wry smile which he returned. "I was just a little freaked out by the moving in business." I flipped his hand over and continued to draw circles on his palm. "It seems that I may have a small fear of commitment," I pressed my thumb and pointer finger together holding them up to emphasize _small. _

"But in my own defense, I've never been in a serious relationship before so I reserve the right to lose my mind sporadically. Which is exactly what I did earlier."

Rylan gave me a curious look. "What are you saying, Sabrina?"

I hesitated. "Um, can we have you, the jury, disregard the last two or so hours and continue from where we left off at about one in the morning?" He knitted his eyebrows together. I nodded in encouragement. "What were you saying before the conversation turned ugly?"

"Oh, will you move in with me Sabrina?"

I smiled at him and crawled into his lap wrapping my legs around his torso. Rylan wrapped his arms around me. "Okay," I whispered giving him a quick chaste kiss.

Rylan looked deep into my eyes. His hazel eyes were searching my brown ones. A small smile played on his lips, "Really?"

I nodded. "That is if you still want me to."

"I do."

"Then alright. Mind you, my parents may still murder us both and I'm still a bit scared."

Rylan held me tighter. "I don't want you to feel scared…I know I didn't help the situation by letting you leave earlier. I'm sorry. I let you down didn't I?"

I shook my head, "No, you didn't let me down. It's my hang up. I'm working on it. It's just new and different and a little unsettling to know how much you want me…around I mean…knowing I'm all kinds of crazy."

"I guess I like my women a little bit crazy then because I do want you _and_ I want you around. Can you deal with that, Sabrina?"

"I think I can as long as you help me deal."

"I can do that," he said.

Rylan then began brushing his lips to mine teasingly before finally kissing me properly and then deepening it. "Let's go to bed now," Rylan said in a husky whisper. My legs were still wrapped around him and his arms were still around me as he got up and walked to the bedroom and placed me gently on the bed never once breaking the kiss.

**BPoV**

Sabrina and I were at Alice's at nine when the limo came to pick us up and headed over to get Rosalie. Sabrina was in much better spirits so I guessed that she and Rylan worked through their issues.

The wedding and reception were taking place in the garden at the Seattle Country Club. The weather was perfect for an outside wedding.

We got to take a look at the reception room before we went to get dressed and styled for the ceremony. Alice did a wonderful job. There were white candles everywhere. The centerpieces consisted of a small two-tiered wedding cake with red rose petals sprinkled around. The couple that's been together the longest at each table would get the honor of cutting the center piece cake at the same time Emmett and Rose were to cut theirs. There were a couple pillars at the entryway wrapped in white lights. There was sheer white and champagne colored fabric draped all around the room. It looked like a gilded cloud.

"Alice, the décor is fantastic," Sabrina told her. "You've done an awesome job." I nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. It was good practice for mine and then Bella's wedding. I've got some great ideas, Bella! I can't wait to show you!"

I cringed slightly. "Alice, let's just get through this wedding first, okay? By the way, these bridesmaids dresses are so pretty. I love the champagne color. I just wished my skin were as tanned as Sabrina's. Champagne looks great against her skintone."

"It's called being half Asian, Bella. You should try it," she teased. "Anyway, the champagne color goes with your skin as well. You're like… an alabaster princess." We laughed. _Alabaster princess_. I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. That's just a nice way of saying _white girl_.

"Did you guys have a date in mind already?" Sabrina asked both Alice and me. "Bella wants an outdoor wedding you know, Alice. She was thinking about your parents' backyard." I made a face at Sabrina for ratting me out so soon. She just laughed.

"Better to get it out in the open now, Bells, before Alice rents out the White House or something."

"Outside, Bella? Oh that'll be so much fun! What do you think of a May wedding? After graduation? I'd like a winter wedding myself." Unbelievable. Alice was excited to just think about planning a wedding.

"Um, hello! Back to today's wedding please! It _is_ _my_ day!" Rosalie joked. We laughed and turned our attention back to getting ready.

Alice had us in silk champagne colored gowns that had a little train. The bodices were strapless and fitted, of course, with a red satin ribbon at the empire waist matching the red rose petals on the tables. The champagne of our dresses matched the subtle floral print accent on the back of Rose's wedding dress. I had to admit, Alice had an eye for detail and a definite flair for style. I was suddenly very happy to have her plan my wedding. All she'll need to do is throw my dress at me and tell me where to be and when to be there. Easy peasy! I had to smile.

"Thinking about your own wedding, Bells?" Sabrina teased. How'd she know? "Ha! I just said _wedding bells_! Check out your silly grin." She was laughing at me. I blushed.

"So, Sabrina did you and Rylan make up?" Ha. Ha. I've learned a thing or two from her about taking the focus off of myself.

Sabrina smiled, and I think I detected a blush. "Yes. Do you know I actually admitted to him I was wrong?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Sabrina _never_ admits to such things. She's one of the most stubborn people I know. She must truly love Rylan. "It had to happen sometime this century right?"

"Yeah, you won't be wrong again for the rest of our lifetime right?" I laughed. "So what did you decide about moving in?"

"I'm going to do it," she grinned. I bounced and clapped like Alice would as I made my way over to hug her. "Thanks, Bells. Hopefully my parents will be as happy when I tell them. Pray for me won't you?"

"It'll be fine, Sabrina. Are you telling them tonight?"

"No way, and get blood on my pretty dress? I'll probably just do some reconnaissance tonight. You know, feel them out so I know what approach to take when I finally do tell them. Actually, I don't need them to be super happy about it. I'll settle for them allowing me to breathe without artificial assistance."

"You over exaggerate," I scolded. "But you're going to move in with or without their blessing?"

Sabrina nodded and smiled ruefully. "Yep. It may mean putting myself through school, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

I was about to say something else to Sabrina, but suddenly it was time for the ceremony to begin. We were handed our bouquets: six white callalillies surrounding a red rose tied together simply with a red ribbon matching the ones on our dresses. We looked over to Rosalie. She was absolutely breathtaking, more so than usual. I hoped I look that gorgeous on my wedding day.

"How do I look?" Alice, Sabrina and I asked at the same time. We laughed at ourselves as we answered each other, "gorgeous," "perfect," and beautiful." We each gave Rose one last look of encouragement as we left her with her father and met our respective groomsmen in the hallway.

"How do I look?" Maisy asked no one in particular. She was so cute in her flower girl dress, which was champagne like ours but in the traditional style of flower girl dresses, all poofy. She held a basket with red rose petals in it. She was so sweet. She even did a little twirl for us.

"You look beautiful, Maisy," Alice gushed. Sabrina and I nodded in agreement.

"Maisy, remember, as cute as you are, this is Rosalie's day, so don't be twirling in the aisle and showing her up. Got it?" Sabrina lectured her sister.

"Got it. And you ladies look lovely!" Maisy was like a miniature adult sometimes. She always makes me smile. We all thanked her as we got ready to go.

It was really great of Rose to allow us to walk with our significant others in the procession even though Alice was the MOH and Edward the Best Man. And they even made Rylan a groomsman so he could escort Sabrina.

As we laid eyes on the guys for the first time in their tuxedos we three let out a collective gasp. There is just something about a man in a tux.

Edward's jaw dropped slightly when he noticed us coming out of the dressing room, as did Jasper's and Rylan's. Who could blame them? Sabrina and Alice looked great. They walked perfectly in their heels like they were born in them. Sabrina is my savior. She somehow swindled Alice into allowing me to wear flats. Alice didn't like the idea, but Sabrina convinced her it was in the best interest of the venue, décor and guests because the potential for my falling over significantly decreased if we eliminated the high heel factor.

Alice finally consented and I was as comfortable as I could be in this situation. Plus, even with their heels on, I was still the same height as Sabrina and Alice. That was another point of argument Sabrina made. Heels would have made me that much taller than them and would, thus, ruin the esthetic when it came time for pictures. I knew I made the right decision by asking Sabrina to be my MOH. She's always my champion.

As soon as Edward locked eyes with mine a huge grin formed on both our faces. "You look outstanding, love."

I blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself, sir."

He was about to kiss me when Alice threatened him. "Do not ruin her makeup, Edward or so help me I will egg your precious Volvo. You can make out with Bella later. And that goes for you too, Beefcake," she said acidly turning toward Rylan and wagging a perfectly French manicured finger at him.

Rylan was a little taken aback. I don't think he's ever experienced an ACT, as Sabrina calls it: Alice Cullen Threat. Between ACT and ACHE, Alice Cullen Heartbreaking Expression, I wondered when Sabrina has time to make up all these acronyms.

Rylan composed himself quickly, "I wasn't planning on making out with Bella, actually."

We all laughed, but Alice didn't break character. "Funny, football boy. We'll see who's laughing when your Spalding or Wilson or whatever is up in flames."

"Yes, ma'am," Rylan straightened up immediately. He looked at Sabrina with wide eyes. "Wow," he mouthed.

Sabrina laughed, "Don't mess with the pixie and the pixie won't mess with you." He nodded. It was sage advice. "Don't worry. I don't think she'd actually burn your football. She may just slash a hole through it or let all the air out."

We started the procession as the music started and Alice cued us. Edward was about to kiss me again, but a sharp "Edward!" stopped him.

He leaned toward me to whisper in my ear, "It's like she has eyes in the back of her head." I giggled then blushed at his next comment. "I can't wait to get you home tonight, love."

Rosalie couldn't have looked more perfect as her father walked her down the aisle. The look on Emmett's face when he saw her was priceless. I've never seen Emmett so serious yet so emotional. It was a bit unnerving. Somehow I got through the ceremony without ruining my makeup. Alice was proud. Several times throughout the ceremony, though, Edward would catch my eye and we'd exchange a knowing look and a very subtle smile. It was obvious there in his glistening eyes, on the brink of tears, how much he loves me. My heart swelled just thinking about the day we'd be exchanging our vows. I'm sure he couldn't wait for our wedding day either.

Once the ceremony was over we had to get the pictures taken right away while guests mingled over hors d'oeuvres and wine. Soon the reception was underway and we were finally able to sit down at the head table. I'm pretty sure none of us quit smiling the entire night.

Edward once again complimented me on my dress. "You look absolutely ravishing, love." His eyes were smoldering.

It seems the bridesmaid dresses were a big hit with all of the guys. Sabrina told me in the ladies room that Rylan couldn't keep his hands off the silk. I told her about Edward's smoldering eyes everytime he looked at me. We laughed at our overly anxious men.

"I don't have room to talk, though, Bella. Rylan looks so sexy in his tux, I've had to take a few deep breaths to keep from jumping him," Sabrina said.

"I am with you on that, Sabrina." She raised an eyebrow at me and laughed. "I mean, I don't want to jump Rylan. Oh, you know what I mean!" I swatted at her arm.

We were cracking up still when Alice came in wondering what we were laughing about.

"Kudos on the dress choice, Alice. Our men have never found us more appealing!" Sabrina informed her.

Alice giggled. "Oh, I know. Jazz actually said the only way my dress would look better was if it were crumpled on the floor!"

Sabrina and I dropped our jaws as our eyes popped nearly out of their sockets. Jasper is always such a gentleman.

Alice seemed to read our minds, "Jasper isn't always such a prude you know!" She rolled her eyes as she walked into a stall.

"Apparently not!" I commented quietly.

Sabrina giggled, "Oh, to be a fly on _that_ wall," she remarked quietly. After a moment she rescinded by shaking her head and wrinkling her nose, "On second thought. I'd rather not know!"

"I heard that!" Alice screamed from her toilet seat sending us into a fit of laughter.

The rest of the night was wonderful. I even danced some. After Emmett and Rose left, many guests left as well. Soon there was only a handful left. They consisted of Charlie, Carlise and Esme, the Hales and Sabrina's parents and us of course. We were all pretty much spent from the day's festivities.

Once Edward and I arrived back at the apartment it didn't take long for him to make good on his comment from earlier. I laughed to myself as my dress ended up crumpled on the floor that night probably like the other two dresses identical to mine.

**A/N MMhmm. It seems our friends are very amorous ;D**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N Again, I don't own what clearly belongs to Steph Meyer. Did you like the wedding chapter? Hope so. This next one was fun to write, obviously since I'm updating already. I could have waited until the weekend, but I just wanted to share it with you guys. Think of it as a special thanks for sticking with this story. Oh, new members to the RC: lovelywendy. WooHoo. Thanks to all who review (all five of you haha). I'd probably still write this story for me, but it's the reviews that get me excited to share my work. HINT HINT. Anyhoo, on to chapter 22.**

**Chapter 22 EPoV**

The week following Emmett and Rosalie's wedding was insane. School had started so we were bogged down with classes and homework already. In the week leading up to school, after the wedding, I was secretly trying to get the condo ready to surprise Bella on her birthday. Rylan and Sabrina were helping me as much as they could, but they were quite busy themselves. Rylan had practice every night while Sabrina was still trying to figure out the logistics of her new schedule, trying to balance art, psych and science classes. The art and psych weren't so bad yet, though she would have senior projects for both of those to complete by the end of the year, but with double labs for our botany class plus the class itself on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays she needed to figure out when to work in study time. We also had neuroanatomy together on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I was able to see her on a regular basis in that respect. And luckily, there was no lab for neuro. On top of all that, though, Sabrina was also trying to figure out when and how to tell her parents about her decision to move in with Rylan.

"How do you think Bella will react to the condo?" I asked Sabrina after Tuesday's neuro lecture. We were walking back to her apartment.

"Well, you know she hates even little surprises and this one is _huge_, but she will _love_ the reasoning behind it. You're going to make her cry you know, you big romantic." Sabrina laughed.

"I'm glad the thought of my fiancé crying amuses you," I retorted.

"They're going to be tears of joy, Edward. Sheesh. Lighten up."

"Sorry, I'm just a bit on edge. I have quite a lot to do before the place is ready, and trying to do it while keeping it a secret from Bella is near impossible."

"So tell me what you need. Rylan and I will do whatever," she offered.

"We have the living room and the master bedroom left to paint. I need to hang some stuff, be there when the furniture is delivered tonight, place the furniture and then do some final touches for presentation."

She made a face, "And you wanted to surprise Bells on her birthday _this year_?" I groaned. Sabrina laughed. Why is she always sarcastic? "I'm just kidding, Edward. It'll be fine. I can get the painting done tonight, at least the first coat and then finish tomorrow or Thursday. Rylan can hang whatever needs to be hung. While I'm there to paint, I can receive the furniture when it comes and even put it where it needs to go while you play patty-cake with Bells so she remains none the wiser. That is, if you trust my esthetic."

Wow. I was moved, and of course I trusted her eye for style. She had done so much already. She painted the bathrooms and two spare bedrooms, tiled the backsplash in the kitchen, which looked fantastic, and helped me pick out fixtures for the bathrooms.

"Sabrina, I owe you big time you know."

She smiled, "I know."

I looked at her seriously, "Thanks, Sabrina. I'm really grateful."

"I know that too. If I ever need a kidney, you'd better ante up. I don't care if you're a match or not," she laughed punching my arm. "So how's it going down on Sunday?"

"Well, I wanted to surprise her with dinner at the new condo. I'd like it to already be set up when we arrive?" I was pleading with Sabrina with my eyes and my tone. What's one more favor between friends right?

"Okay, I get it. I'm all over the set up, but _you_ have to figure out dinner. Or must I do everything around here?" she teased.

So that only left us five days before I surprised Bella. True to her word, Sabrina got all the painting done. The furniture came and she supervised the placement of all of it. I pretty much gave her free reign of the condo so she did the decorating by getting the window treatments and hanging some artwork. The décor, she warned me, woud definitely have a Sabrina touch to it, a little funky and eclectic but never over the top. She knew what Bella and I liked, and I trusted her explicitly. She had gotten the last bit done on Saturday since Rylan was at an away game that wasn't being televised, which Sabrina was extremely annoyed about. She did get to listen to it on the student radio station. Rylan ran for two touchdowns and over a hundred yards, she informed me via text.

While Sabrina was busy doing my evil bidding, as she put it, I was keeping Bella occupied so she wouldn't suspect anything. She did worry about Sabrina in that they barely saw each other anymore, but I covered for Sabrina's absence by telling Bella how busy Sabrina was with her new course load. Neuroanatomy alone was a bear. Plus, Sabrina wanted to spend some time with Rylan after he got back Saturday night. Everything I told her was true so Bella believed me.

Sunday morning, Bella and I awoke to the aroma of waffles, eggs Benedict, bacon and sausage and coffee.

Actually, I woke up to those smells, Bella awoke to my trail of kisses up and down her arm and shoulder. She rolled over to look at me, gracing me with her beautiful smile.

"Good morning, love," I kissed her perfect lips. "Happy birthday." Bella made a face. I laughed. "Isn't it a happy birthday?"

She shrugged. "I'm happy everyday that I get to wake up next to you." She kissed me that time.

"Mmm. Good answer. Ready for breakfast?"

"You cooked for me?" She asked all excited.

I shook my head. "Actually, Sabrina and Rylan are cooking for you, but I helped pick out the menu." I pointed out.

We got up and walked out to the kitchen still in our pajamas. Sabrina and Rylan greeted us with a big, "Happy Birthday, Bella!" which caused my Bella to blush causing me to smile. As long as I live, I will never tire that blush of hers.

"Thanks guys! Are you waffling this early?" Bella asked putting our new verb, thanks to Emmett, to use.

"_We _are _all_ waffling this morning," Sabrina corrected her. "Go sit down, and we'll take care of everything."

Rylan and Sabrina brought out all the food. It looked and tasted as good as it smelled.

"Who made the eggs Benedict?" Bella asked.

"Rylan did," Sabrina answered. "It's one of his specialties."

We all looked at Rylan who shrugged. "I only know how to make a few things, but the few that I know how to make, I make pretty well."

"The Hollandaise sauce is to die for," Bella complimented.

"I know, right?" Sabrina agreed. "I could eat an entire bowl of just the sauce." Rylan made a face at her which made Bella and me laugh. "What? It's true. This stuff makes anything taste better. I'd eat an old boot if it were drenched in Hollandaise. Wouldn't you?"

"No," we all answered.

"Whatever, liars!" Sabrina accused. "You wouldn't do it in front of company, but as soon as you were alone, you'd be dipping your Doc Martens in the Hollandaise and you'd be loving every minute of it." Wow, she's really put a lot of thought into this. We all just laughed at the image of Sabrina pretending to eat a boot dipped in Hollandaise sauce, looking over her shoulder making sure no one was watching her. She's insane.

After breakfast Rylan and I did the dishes so Sabrina and Bella could spend some time together. I know they missed hanging out, and I felt a little guilty about that.

"So are you ready for tonight?" Rylan asked me.

"Yeah, I think so. I've ordered Bella's favorite from that Greek restaurant the girls went to before Emmett and Rosalie's wedding. Sabrina's going to setup the dinner. I should be bringing Bella by around seven. Hey, man, thanks for all of your help. I wouldn't be able to pull any of this off without Sabrina's or your help."

"You're welcome. I'm glad we could be of assistance. Sabrina is really excited for you guys you know? It's like your happiness is hers as well. Have you seen the condo recently?"

I shook my head. "Not since Thursday." I had been spending every spare moment with Bella since Sabrina was determined and gracious enough to do my evil bidding.

Rylan gave me a crooked smile. "You're in for a surprise then. Don't tell Sabrina I told you this because she doesn't want to worry you, but I thought you should know, she hasn't slept much, or at all really. She 's been busting her hump working on your place hard core. When she gets something in her head…" Rylan was shaking his head and smiling ruefully. "Anyway, my guess is you'll be surprised, but you'll like it."

I was a little taken aback by his mysteriousness, and I felt even guiltier now knowing Sabrina's not been able to rest. I think I do owe her a kidney and maybe part of my liver. "I'm sure we will. We couldn't ask for a better friend. She's gone above and beyond already, but then that's how she's always been. She doesn't half-step anything." Rylan nodded. "Oh, I keep forgetting to ask her, has she told her parents yet about moving in with you? I know she's worried about it."

"No, I think she's planning on telling them soon. I think the girls' lease ends this month so it works out for you and Bella. She says she's moving in regardless of what they say. I don't want to be the cause of a rift between her and her parents though. How do you think they'll take it?"

"Honestly, it's hard to tell, which is probably why Sabrina is worried about it. Chera and George are really cool, but you never know how parents, especially dads, will react to their daughter moving in with a guy. They'll probably be shocked, but ultimately I don't think they'll mind. Sabrina's always had a good head on her shoulders. She's never given them any trouble—attitude and grief yes, trouble no, so I think they'll respect her decision. I know they really like you."

Rylan nodded. I continued, "Hey, Rylan. I'm really glad you and Sabrina got together. I've honestly never seen her happier. I really hope it all works out."

"Thanks, Edward. I appreciate that. She actually brings out the best in me so I'm grateful to have found her. She's a spark plug, though isn't she?" I laughed nodding my head. "And you and Bella. Now there's a great relationship. Sabrina told me about the ups and downs there. I'm glad you finally came to your senses." He laughed. I can only imagine what Sabrina's told Rylan about me and my lapse in judgement.

Once we were finished with the dishes we joined the girls in the living room. They were watching _Tommy Boy_ and laughing hysterically. When the movie was over Sabrina went and grabbed some items she said she'd need for the night before she and Rylan left. We pretended to make plans to stop over at Rylan's place later tonight when in actuality I'd be presenting Bella with our new condo.

Bella and I spent the rest of the afternoon on the sofa watching movies. We were content to stay in our pajamas. Alice would cringe at the idea, but we could be wearing potato sacks and I'd still be content as long as I was with my Bella.

Bella and I were lying on the sofa almost asleep when I noticed the time. It was a little after six. I can't believe we wasted the entire afternoon. It was great.

"Bella, we should get dressed."

"Why?" Her forehead wrinkled in what can only be interpreted as annoyance. She was much too comfortable to move.

"We agreed to stop over at Rylan's remember and I'm taking you to dinner."

She gave me a _what are you talking about _look. "You never said anything about dinner."

"It was a surprise, love." I laughed as Bella made a face. "I know. I know. You hate surprises, but it is your birthday. I couldn't let it pass unnoticed."

She shook her head at me. "You're unbelievable…"

"Bella, it's just dinner," my tone was serious. It was a lie, but I didn't want to upset her.

She pursed her lips thinking it over, "Alright."

As Bella got dressed, I texted Sabrina to let her know we'd be on our way.

She replied back: _**All good over here. Good luck!**_

So we drove to Rylan's condo and parked in his driveway. I opened Bella's door for her and took her hand. She started walking towards Rylan's but I tugged her toward the condo next door.

"What are you doing, Edward?" she asked confused. "That's not Rylan's door."

I smiled at her, "I know, love, but _this_ is where _we're_ going."

She gave me a dubious look. We were standing in front of the condo next to Rylan's. I took Bella's hands in mine and looked at her so I could explain.

"Bella, don't be mad, but dinner isn't your only surprise." She opened her mouth to protest but I held a finger up to halt her. "Wait, let me finish. I've been thinking a lot about our engagement and wedding and life after the wedding." I smiled at the thought of our marriage and life together. "I've given some serious thought to where we'd live. I know you have _your _own place and I have _my_ own place, but what we don't have is _our_ own place. A place we can start all over, fresh, together. This isn't just a birthday present for you, it's a gift for the both of us…"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a house key and handed it to Bella. "For you. A key to your, _our_, new home."

Bella's mouth dropped open. She stared at me incredulously. "Bella, please say something."

"We have a house?" she asked unsure.

I nodded.

"We're going to live here? Together?"

I nodded and laughed. "Yes, love. This is our home now. It's not our forever home, but I figure it's a pretty good start. We'll need a much bigger place once we start a family…" Bella's eyes lit up as soon as I mentioned a family. I had to smile. Yes, one day we'd have a family. I could envision a pregnant Bella with a swollen belly and her hands over mine as I rubbed her stomach knowing she was holding a miracle only we could create together. I was imagining myself playing catch with our little boy and pushing our little girl on a swing. My grin grew even bigger as my heart swelled at the thought. "Go ahead and unlock it." I was excited to go inside now.

I was curious to see the final product myself actually. Bella opened the door and we both walked inside. To my astonishment and pleasure, the sounds of Debussy filled the entire condo. It was the _Three Nocturnes_. I had to smile. Sabrina certainly pays attention to detail. I was going to flick on the lights, but there was no need. The entire open front room and kitchen was candlelit.

I turned Bella around so I could look at her. "What do you think? Do you approve of your surprise?" Bella's eyes were glistening. She was about to cry. She nodded fervently and a couple tears escaped her beautiful brown eyes. I smiled as I wiped them away. "I'm glad then." I leaned in and kissed her with as much passion as I could. She kissed me back, with an urgency matching mine. I finally pulled away but still held her to me whispering into her hair. "I love you, Bella. Welcome home."

"Thank you, Edward," was all she managed to say. It was all she needed to say. Her happiness was all I wanted and needed in life. And I knew she was happy right there, right then, with me. I am unbelievably lucky.

"Are you ready for dinner, love? Sabrina went to all this trouble…"

The table was set for two with two tall candles in the center. Our plates were covered with metal lids and there were a couple glasses of champagne ready for us. I ushered Bella over to the table and pulled her chair out for her.

She sat down and I sat directly across from her. Bella was still just staring at me in shock, letting it all soak in. I'm pretty sure my stupid grin never left my face.

I raised my glass. "Happy birthday, Bella. I love you with every fiber of my being."

Bella's face softened and her magnificent smile spread across her equally magnificent face. "I love you too, Edward, with all my heart. Thank you." She raised her glass clinking it against mine before we each took a sip.

We ate dinner relatively quickly and quietly. Bella mostly wanted to finish so she could look around. I admittedly wanted to do the same.

As we took our last bites Bella started to clear the table but I stopped her.

"That can wait. Let's take a look around our new place." I took her hand in mine as we made our way to the light switch.

Bella smiled, "I like the sound of that, _our place_."

"It does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?" I smiled back squeezing her hand.

I turned on the lights so that we could see everything properly. Bella gasped as she took in the surroundings.

"When did you do all of this, Edward?" She asked shaking her head in disbelief. "When did you have the time?" Everything was in its place as if it had been this way for months not a day or two. There were pictures of us together and with our friends and family scattered throughout the living area. Sabrina even placed books on the shelves. I recognized the seven _Harry Potter novels, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, A Series of Unfortunate Events,_ as well as a newer series of vampire romance books Sabrina and Bella have been talking about nonstop. I shook my head. Who reads vampire romance anyway?

I smiled at Bella. "I didn't do it alone. I _couldn't_ have done it alone. Sabrina and Rylan helped. In fact, Sabrina did all of the painting and decorating. If you don't like it, take it up with her."

Bella laughed. "No, I think she's done an excellent job." Bella and I walked all around the living room and down the hall peeking into the bathroom and spare bedrooms. "Is all this artwork hers?"

There were several small canvases hanging along the hallway and a couple larger ones in the living room. They all had the same color scheme, yellows, oranges, blues, reds and browns, but each was a different abstract painting. We also passed a couple sculptures made from painted scrap metal set atop wrought iron stands. I know I didn't order any of them. They had to be Sabrina's doing. We always knew she was into art, but I never knew she was this good. I didn't even know she had a collection. She always said she was messing around at the art studio at school. She said it was therapeutic.

"I think so," I said vaguely as I was scrutinizing one of the canvases. I pointed to the lower right hand corner where there were the tiny initials S.I.K. in a scrawl I recognized as hers. "Sabrina Ingrid Kinsgston." I confirmed. Bella and I looked at each other with wide eyes. Bella didn't know about all this artwork either.

"Wow," she breathed. Ditto.

We made our way to the master bedroom. The bed was made, of course. The gold colored comforter looked so inviting. Above the bed was another huge canvas painting of another abstract piece. We walked closer to examine it when Bella spotted a note on the bed.

She picked it up and smiled as she read it.

"It's from Sabrina.".

I looked over Bella's shoulder to read it.

_**Dear Lovers,**_

_**Surprise! Welcome to your new digs. I have selfishly turned it into my personal gallery. Ha ha. Hang on to this stuff, it could be worth millions someday (yeah right). Obviously, if you don't like it take it down. Afterall, you're the ones who have to look at it everyday. I just needed to clear out some space at the art studio to make room for new stuff. Hope you don't mind. Anyhoo, welcome home, Bella and Edward. Your official new life TOGETHER starts right…NOW! So GO!**_

_**Elephant shoe,**_

_**SIK**_

_**P.S. Look in the closet…Oh, and you're welcome!**_

We went to open the closet. Some of Bella's and my clothing was hung up already, and on the floor of the closet were our backpacks and books we'd need for classes tomorrow.

"Unbelievable!" Bella said. Ditto again. "What's this?" Another note was on Bella's backpack.

_**P.P.S. The bathroom is stocked with your essentials as well…Again, you're both welcome!**_

_**P.P.P.S. Look in the top dresser drawer…Oh, and you're welcome, Edward!**_

Bella and I walked over to the dresser and she opened the top drawer only to immediately close it before I could even look inside it.

Bella was blushing, piquing my curiosity. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," Bella answered hastily, still crimson. She tried to keep me from opening the drawer on several attempts.

I furrowed my brow at her. Something was up. I finally overpowered her and opened the drawer myself. I grinned at the contents. Lingerie. Nice. Thanks, Sabrina.

The music transitioned to _La Mer_, then _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun_, and then finally _Clair De Lune_ as Bella and I drifted off to sleep spending the first official night in our first official place marking the official beginning of our new life together.

**A/N Review, people! I mean, my lilacs and jellybeans ;D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N I still don't own Twilight. I'm borrowing a few characters from Ms. Meyer though (Mike Newton, Erik Yorkie and Tyler Crowley are mentioned in this chp). Okay, shout outs to those who just put my story on alert: oh-my-edward, laurkinns, knd3116, and Amanda.In.Tx. Thanks to myfaithful review crew. Elephant shoe! I present to you chapter 23. **

Chapter 23 BPoV

Unbelievable. That's all I can say. I can't believe Edward bought a condo for us! I can't believe we have our own place where we can begin our new life together. I can't believe all the work Sabrina put into it just for us. I can't believe I still get to live near Sabrina! Well, we have two weeks left in our lease, but I've already moved my stuff into the condo and Edward and I stay here all the time. Sabrina still technically lives at the apartment. She's planning on telling her parents after Rylan's game today for which Charlie, George and Carlisle came here to watch. Esme, Chera, Maisy, Alice and I stayed behind at our condo while Edward, Jasper and Sabrina were at the game with the dads.

I had called to tell Renee and Charlie about the condo when I got some free time a couple days after my actual birthday. They were surprised to say the least. Not because we were living together but because someone as young as Edward could or would buy a home already. Even after knowing the Cullens for so long, it was difficult for my parents to wrap their minds around exactly how wealthy Edward's family is. Neither can I for that matter. Edward says what's his is mine, but I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Alice wants to throw an official house warming party for us. She was a little hurt that she wasn't involved in the decorating of our place, but Edward insisted that he really wanted to keep it a secret. Once Alice and Jasper came over to see the condo after classes the day after my birthday, they were just as wowed as Edward and I were. Alice didn't feel shafted after all.

"I wouldn't have been able to out do this," she acknowledged shaking her head. "This is perfect for you guys! Sabrina, I want some art too!" Alice demanded.

Sabrina just laughed. "I've got some more in my space at the art studio. Come dig around. I think I do have one you'll like, Alice. You're welcome to it." Alice grinned with excitement.

"How come you never showed us any artwork before? It's like you have this secret life," Alice asked. I hadn't had a chance to ask Sabrina that myself. We were all ears.

She merely shrugged. "What's to show? They're just some paintings and I'm only experimenting with the metal sculptures now just to see what medium I like best. I mean I like them, and I'm proud of them, but I didn't really think people would want to see them. I'm no Jackson Pollock or anything."

"No, you're better. Plus, you're not an alcoholic," Alice remarked.

Sabrina laughed again. "That's debatable…I mean about the better part. The part about my not being an alcoholic is true."

So Alice got to pick out a couple pieces from Sabrina's collection for her place. She pretty much needs to redecorate her whole house now to go with the new artwork, but she's always up for that. I think she secretly wanted to redecorate anyway, and Sabrina's artwork provided a good cover for her. Normally Alice wouldn't have any qualms buying new stuff for her place, but she just redecorated last spring so she needed an excuse to do it again without looking completely out of her mind.

As we were waiting for everyone to return from the game, I was still playing hostess, entertaining the women at the condo. Esme was impressed with what Sabrina did to decorate the condo. She also really liked Sabrina's artwork. Chera and Maisy have seen Sabrina's work before, but Chera said that Sabrina had never displayed her art prior to our personal gallery in my house, and she confirmed that the sculptures were something new.

Finally, Edward and the others returned from the game. They were pretty excited. I guess Rylan had another good game.

"How was the game?" I asked Edward after he gave me a hello kiss. He proceeded to fill me in on how the game went without boring me too much.

"All I know is I'm not sitting next to you at a game again, Sabrina," Charlie complained rubbing his arm.

"I said I was sorry, Charlie. I really am. I just get so nervous especially when those huge linebackers are about to tackle him. I told him to just run out of bounds, but no, he's got to take the hit like a stupid man," Sabrina ranted. "He'll get broken to pieces like a stupid man," she added shaking her head.

"He's got a helmet and padding, Sabrina," Jasper pointed out. "Besides, I bet you hit him harder than the linebackers do when you guys are watching baseball together."

Sabrina made a face. "So if Alice were wearing a helmet and pads you wouldn't be worried at all if two hundred-fifty pound guys tackle her?"

"That's ridiculous, Sabrina," Alice chimed in, "My clothes aren't baggy enough to fit football pads underneath, and why would I want to look bulkier than I am anyway? Also, a helmet would ruin my hair. I wouldn't be caught dead in one."

Sabrina and Jasper looked at Alice blankly and then looked at each other before cracking up. They were shaking their heads. Jasper's fiancé is out of her mind.

"Where's Rylan anyway?" I asked Sabrina.

"Oh, the team stays for a while in the locker room after each game and apparently coach either rips them a new one if they play badly or praises them if they win." She checked her watch. "He should be back in an hour or so."

"So Rylan had another good game, huh?" I asked her.

Sabrina smiled. "Yes, he made two touchdowns and had eighty some yards rushing."

I think rushing means running with the ball so I nodded. Eighty yards rushing sounds impressive, especially if he's running from guys who are trying to tackle him. I tried to think of a relevant question to ask Sabrina to show her I've been paying attention to when she explains football to me. "Did the offensive line do a good job of protecting Rylan?"

Sabrina smiled even bigger. Jasper, Edward and our dads all looked at me in surprise. I had to smile myself. "Actually, yes, Bella the offensive line did protect him pretty well which…"

"Allowed him to get past the defensive line and run past those pesky linebackers and make his touchdowns?" I finished for Sabrina.

She was laughing and gave me a high-five. "Alright, Bells. You've been listening to me! Does it make sense now?"

"Sort of. I'd still have to watch it a little more to really figure it out."

"You've taught my little girl about football, Sabrina? I'm impressed!" Charlie's never sounded so jubilant. Who knew we could bond over football? "What else have you learned, Bella?"

I thought a second. "Well, Sabrina's told me about the shotgun formation and also the play action…something…Oh, play action fake. That's a good one. The quarterback always tricks me because I end up watching the guy that he fakes the hand off to, but then I guess that's the whole point of that play isn't it?" Wow! I know more than I thought. Sabrina was nodding and smiling proudly at me.

My dad had turned to George who also had a look of awe on his face. I couldn't blame them. I've never shown any interest in sports whatsoever until I met Sabrina and watched her play tennis and soccer. And now, of course, Rylan, since he is officially one of my friends, plays football, I thought I'd learn a little something about it. It's actually kind of fun to watch.

"Very impressive, love," Edward said to me once everyone was over the shock of me actually talking about football and got back into their own conversations. It was wasn't it? "And very sexy," he whispered very quietly into my ear. Yes, Sabrina was definitely on to something here.

"Does Rylan have a touchdown dance?" I asked Edward.

Edward shook his head. "No, Sabrina would probably clobber him if he did. She hates it when athletes get cocky. He just set the football down and went back to the sidelines after he scored. He looked into the stands though and I think he might have held his fist up to his chest. I couldn't really tell because his teammates were all over him congratulating him."

Soon, Edward's parents and my dad left together promising to be back for the house warming party next week. Alice decided to throw it after Emmett and Rosalie get back from their honeymoon in Hawaii. Sabrina and her parents went to the apartment so they could take back some things she doesn't need anymore. I think that's when she was going to tell them about moving in with Rylan.

While Sabrina and her parents were gone, Maisy stayed with us. Alice decided to play hair makeover with Maisy so we let the two have at it. They tried to get me to play along, but I refused. I chose to start cooking dinner for all of us instead.

Jasper and Edward were watching even more college football on television when Rylan came over to join them. I heard him ask about Sabrina, and I'm sure Edward informed him of her and her parents' whereabouts. Maisy and Alice emerged from the bathroom revealing Maisy's hair in a fancy updo. She was very excited to see Rylan again. She ran to him to give him a hug. Rylan asked Maisy about how Kindergarten was going, and Maisy happily prattled on and on about it. He actually looked genuinely interested in what she had to say. It was really sweet to see.

I was almost done with the chicken enchiladas when Sabrina came in without her parents. She looked…well, she looked like she was in shock. She didn't say anything as all of our eyes were on her when she came in. Rylan and Maisy went over to her. Rylan was looking rather concerned. I have to admit, I was a bit frightened myself.

"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly after kissing her hello. His brows were knitted together. "What did they say?"

Sabrina merely nodded with a neutral look on her face. "Um, I'm okay, but my parents would like to speak with you. Outside. Alone." For a fraction of a second a fearful and surprised expression flashed across his face before he composed himself and nodded. He then left only to return in what seemed to be hours as we were waiting with bated breath, but in actuality it was more like five minutes.

In those five minutes, though, Sabrina gave nothing away. She still had the look of shock and confusion combined as she helped me grab plates and silverware. I really had no idea what happened. Neither Jasper nor Edward would even broach the topic though we were mentally screaming that we wanted to know everything.

Then Rylan came in with Chera and George. Rylan looked a bit taken aback himself.

"Maisy, ready to go?" Chera asked. She looked to me and smiled. "Thanks for having us over, Bella. Your new place is beautiful." She came over and hugged me goodbye before doing the same with Alice, Jasper and Edward. She went over to Rylan and Sabrina giving each of them a hug as well.

"Bye, Mom. Love you," Sabrina told Chera. "Bye, Maisy. Bye, Dad." George nodded and gave Sabrina a one-armed hug and Rylan a pat on the back.

Maisy gave everyone a hug and kiss before leaving with her parents.

As soon as the door shut behind them we were all over Sabrina and Rylan.

"What happened?" Alice demanded. The rest of us merely stared at the two of them expectantly.

"I'm hungry. Let's eat," Sabrina said calmly.

"Sabrina!" Alice screamed.

"I'll spill. You know I will. Let's just sit down shall we?"

So we all sat at the table and began eating when Sabrina finally started to tell us what happened.

"So, of course they knew that Bella had moved out, obviously, and I told them the lease was up at the end of the month. I also told them that I had big news and…"

"What were your _exact_ words, Sabrina?" Alice interrupted.

Sabrina pursed her lips trying to think of the words. "Okay, I said, _I have big news, guys._ And they were looking at me expectantly, much like how you all are looking at me now," she smiled at the comparison.

"Sabrina!" I yelled that time.

"Yeah, so I said, _I'm moving in with Rylan_."

"Just like that? You just said it?" I asked.

She nodded. "Uh-huh. The direct approach is the best route to take with my parents. And they were still looking at me with these curious expressions right? And Mom says Okay, _so what's your big announcement?_"

All of our jaws, except for Rylan's, dropped. "I know, right?" Sabrina commented. "So I said _What do you mean?_ And my mom asked _Are you engaged?_ I shook my head no. Then she asked _Are you pregnant?_ I adamantly said _No!_ And then she asked again _So, what's your big news?_" Sabrina was looking at us.

We all were flabbergasted. She nodded. "I looked just like you guys do right now. I looked at my dad and he just shrugged like it's no big deal. So I asked them if I needed to put myself through school now and they were like _Why?_ so I didn't push that issue, obviously. It was so bizarre. I expected them to at least lecture me about thinking things over carefully, you guys barely know each other, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I think they were more shocked when I told them I was switching majors. They're so weird!" She shook her head in disbelief.

"So why did you have that shocked expression on your face when you came in?" I asked her.

"Well, they didn't let me get off completely scott free." She sighed shaking her head again. "I got a sex talk." She closed her eyes in humiliation. We snickered at her.

"Really? What did they say?" Alice asked trying to stifle her giggling.

"Nothing I didn't already know." Sabrina was trying to quell her own amusement now. "But it just made me flashback to the sex talk they gave me when I was like nine. My mom controlled the conversation then too. Back then I didn't know the, uh, _mechanics_ of baby-making. At least this time she didn't break out the books with pictures and diagrams. I believe my exact words when I was nine were _You put WHAT WHERE? Eww!_"

We all were laughing at a nine-year-old Sabrina getting sex education from her parents.

"George was exactly how he was during the first sex talk as well." Sabrina continued. "He was all quiet, nervous and uncomfortable. When it was his turn to talk he patted me really hard on my back and gripped my shoulder a bit shaking me, you know how guys do that to each other? And he said the exact same thing today that he said to me then _Sabrina, you know you can, uh, come to me with any, uh, questions about…you know…boys_. He actually said _boys!_ I first had to hold back the horror and mortification of being in the same room as my dad _and_ the topic of sex. Back when I was nine, I didn't have any questions, at least none that I'd actually ask my dad. But today I was a bit confused about what he meant so I asked, _What questions do you think I should ask, Dad?_ Like what does he think I haven't learned yet? I'm twenty-one _and pre-med_ for smurf's sake!"

We all continued to laugh at Sabrina's family's discomfort. Though I'm sure I'd be just as horrified had Charlie decided to talk to me about sex.

"So did George offer up any new information?" Edward asked laughing.

Sabrina was still laughing as well, but she shook her head. "He changed the subject and asked if there was anything else I needed them to take and just bounced from the room. My mom was shaking with laughter. I think it really amuses her to put my dad in uncomfortable situations like that. Poor George. Anyhoo, apparently in the hierarchy of _big news_, living in sin ranks pretty low per Chera and George." She looked to Rylan. "Hey, what did they say to you?" She asked biting her lip. "Did you get a sex talk too?"

Rylan chuckled, "They just told me that they really like me and that I'd better treat you right and that school is still a priority despite how in love we may be. Nothing I didn't already know either I guess. But no, no sex talk, unfortunately."

"You're so lucky!" Sabrina scoffed at him. "Wait, _unfortunately_? You _wanted_ a sex talk?"

Rylan shrugged. "It would have been interesting. I never got one."

"What?" Sabrina, Alice and I asked incredulously.

"Where'd you get your sex ed? Just at school in health class?" Alice asked.

"There and on the street like all guys right?" He looked at Edward and Jasper who both nodded.

"Wait, what do you mean _the street_?" I asked.

"From other guys," Jasper and Edward clarified.

"_Other guys?_ Like Emmett? Now _there's_ a reliable source. What'd he tell you that you can use saran wrap or tin foil as protection when you're in a pinch?" Sabrina asked. Alice and I made horrified faces as we were laughing at the thought of Emmett teaching anyone about sex.

"Well, at least we didn't have to be embarrassed by talking to our parents about it," Jasper defended his on-the-street sex ed a la Emmett.

"Actually, that wasn't her most embarrassing sex-ed related moment," Alice pointed out.

Sabrina and I looked at her curiously. "What are you talking about, Alice?" I asked.

"Yeah, how is my Chera and George sex-ed story not embarrassing?" Sabrina asked.

Alice laughed. "That was merely uncomfortable. I'm talking about the, uh, snow sculptures?"

Sabrina started laughing as she remembered. Oh, god. That was kind of embarrassing. The guys were all confused. "That was senior year, remember, Bella?" Sabrina asked.

I blushed and nodded. Alice decided to tell the guys the story. "Over winter break that year we were taking a walk through Sabrina's neighborhood. We were approaching Mike Newton's house. His parents had been gone for the weekend because he had that stupid party he had invited us to the night before. We didn't go. We just stayed over at Sabrina's," Alice informed Jasper and Edward. Edward made a face at the mention of Mike Newton's name. He never liked Mike Newton for some reason.

Alice continued and I tried to hold back my laughter. I was doing okay, but I was shaking a bit. Edward looked at me inquisitively. "Anyway, the night before, Mike and some other idiots, probably Erik Yorkie and Tyler Crowley, made these _really big snow sculptures_. We were half a block away and when Sabrina spotted them. Sabrina goes, _Ooo, look. Snow towers!_ all excited. They were really big. I was laughing, and Bella just turned beet red. As we got closer Sabrina realized what they were: giant snow penises that were anatomically accurate!"

We all looked at Sabrina, Alice and I smirked from the memory, and the guys looked at her for confirmation. Sabrina was not embarrassed from the retelling of this story. "What? I didn't have my glasses on! They were all fuzzy!" We completely lost it. I think I peed a little from laughing so hard. "I mean they were visually, not clear to me! Shut up!" She was laughing too.

"What did you say when you saw them up close?" Rylan asked through his fit of laughter.

Sabrina composed herself and shrugged, "I said _Oh, eww. These aren't towers at all._"

Alice and I were still laughing. "That's exactly how she said it too. All matter-of-fact," I snickered.

Alice added, "The best part is that Mike and Tyler came out on the porch when we came by. Mike asked if we liked what we saw. Bella was speechless and red. I rolled my eyes, and Sabrina says, _You boys must be overcompensating for a small problem? _as she curled her pinky finger down."

Jasper and Rylan were laughing, but Edward scowled. "How come you guys never told us that before? That was sexual harassment."

"Who was doing the harassing, Edward? Mike or Sabrina?" I asked giggling.

"Good point," Edward conceded.

The house cleared out shortly after dinner and sex ed talk. My sides hurt from laughing so hard. My friends are so crazy, but I love them maybe because they're so crazy.

"What's that smile about, Bella?" Edward asked me while we were lying in bed.

"I was just thinking about the fun evening tonight. We've already got great memories in this house you know that?" I snuggled closer to him relishing in the warmth of his arms around me. "And FYI, this is how I wanted to begin and end everyday from now on."

Edward chuckled and kissed the top of my head murmuring into my hair, "And we have many more to make still, love."

"Mmm. That's a nice thought." I looked up at him and he crushed his lips to mine.

Edward pulled away only long enough to ask seductively, "We can make another one."

I smiled against his lips. "I take back my FYI. _This_ is how I want to begin and end each day from now on."

"Your wish, my command, love," Edward agreed as we continued to make a new memory.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N You know good and well I don't own Twilight. So 24 chapters in about a month. Mind if I pat myself on the back? Thanks. Go ahead and pat yourselves on the back for sticking with the story. And give yourself a hug for me if you've reviewed. There you go. Thanks a bunch! Here's a bit of family time in this chappie, and a small glimpse of what a pregnant Rosalie is like. Enjoy! And review please! Oh, and just to clarify, if you haven't reviewed it doesn't have to be an actual critique of writing style or a synopsis of my mistakes or anything. It's doesn't have to be a big production. Just click the little button on the lower left hand side and holla atcha girl. Say hello. Tell me if you liked something or didn't like something. Tell me why my story sucks--well, you can keep that to yourslef maybe. Anyhoo, what I'm saying is, I need some inspiration here.**

**Chapter 24 BPoV**

"Back off, Emmett!" Alice squawked. She held up a spatula to threaten Emmett with. Emmett was pilfering hors d'oeurves from as many trays as he could get to. He had already taken some bruschetta, caprese, and was now after the mini-filo dough cups filled with custard and topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries. "These are for the guests!"

"I _am_ a guest!" Emmett reasoned as Alice managed to swipe the pastry away from him right before he could pop it in his mouth.

"If you're here to help set up for the house warming party then you are _not_ a guest!" Alice clarified just as Rose popped a pastry cup in her mouth.

"Hey! Rose took one and you didn't jump on her! That's not fair!" Emmett whined.

"Rose is with child! Specifically, she's with _your_ child. She has to eat for two now!" Alice snapped at Emmett as she handed another pastry to Rosalie. Rosalie smiled. Emmett made a face.

Then Edward and I took a pastry each and ate them in front of Emmett.

"These are really good," Edward commented.

"Yeah, I know. Sabrina and Rylan made these," I said.

"Hey! How come you just let Bella and Edward take one each?" Emmett complained to Alice again.

"Because they live here. It's theirs to begin with."

"Hmmph!" Emmett grunted with narrowed eyes.

Then Jasper walked by and took one for himself. Alice smiled at Jasper as he popped the pastry cup in his mouth. "Mmm, these are really good!"

Emmett was near his limit now. His hands were up by his face moving them toward Alice with each syllable, "What the smurf was that?"

"Now it's just amusing," Alice giggled.

Emmett was almost fuming now. "My own sister turns on me," Emmett shook his head in disbelief. But then Sabrina and Rylan came over to him with a tray each of the pastry cups.

"Hey, Em. Here you go. I'll hook you up phat!" Sabrina offered Emmett a tray.

Ememtt's eyes lit up. "Really, Sabrina?"

"Sure, Emmett. But only if you play Chubby Bunny with them," she smiled and so did he. Emmett's always ready for Chubby Bunny.

I started smiling myself. This was going to be so entertaining.

"No way!" Alice barked. One hand was on her hip while the other was still wielding the spatula. "Guests are going to be here in like ten minutes. This could get really messy!"

"Come on, Alice. Rylan's never seen Emmett do Chubby Bunny. Oh, I know. We'll do it over the kitchen sink. There's even the backsplash there in case there's another incident," Sabrina bargained.

Alice pursed her lips pretending to think it over. We all knew she wanted to see this just as much as the rest of us. "Fine, but it has to be fast," she glanced at the clock.

We all hurried over to the kitchen sink. "Okay, who's going up against Emmett?" Sabrina asked.

Rylan volunteered. Sabrina smiled at him as she handed a pastry cup to each guy. They both placed one on one side of their mouth and each said clearly, "Chubby Bunny."

Sabrina nodded and gave them each another. They both placed it on the other side of their mouth and said pretty clearly, "Chubby Bunny."

Sabrina handed them each a third. This is when it gets good. Edward and I looked at each other and smiled in anticipation. Rylan and Emmett each put the third pastry cup in their mouth. But this time they weren't as articulate.

"Chuh-ee Buh-ee," Emmett said.

"Chuh-ee Buh-ee," Rylan repeated.

Somehow, they each crammed a fourth in, but neither could close his mouth. They looked like chipmunks holding acorns except way more ridiculous. We were all laughing, including Emmett and Rylan who also had to try to say Chubby Bunny still.

"Chuh…Buh," Emmett grunted laughing. A little bit of custard was seeping down his chin. I wrinkled my nose as we all stepped away from him since he looked like he was about to blow the pastry cups out of his mouth. We looked at Rylan who was nearly doubled over in laughter at the sight of the custard running out of Emmett's mouth.

He composed himself enough to say, "Chu..ee..Bu..ee," and he held his arms up over his head in victory.

"Rylan wins!" Alice declared.

Emmett was shaking his head in protest and even more custard plus drool were running down his chin.

"Backsplash, Emmett! Use the backsplash!" Sabrina yelled as she and Edward whipped Emmett around so he was facing the sink and the wall just in time to catch about three pastry cups and the custard that spewed from Emmett's mouth. Rylan had to hurry to hover over the sink himself since he blew his pastry cups at the sight of Emmett blowing his. Eww! I don't think any of us ate any more of those that day. I know I didn't.

We were all still recovering from the Chubby Bunny episode as Carlisle and Esme came in. "What's so funny?" Esme asked as she hugged me and handed me a potted orchid.

"Chubby Bunny," I said. Both she and Carlise wrinkled their noses.

"Was there another incident?" Carlisle asked cautiously.

"No, crisis averted thanks to the kitchen sink and backsplash," Edward informed them still chuckling as he hugged his parents.

"What was _the incident_?" Rylan asked as he shook hands with Carlisle.

We all groaned in unison. "It involved chocolate liqueurs and it wasn't pretty," Sabrina told him. "We'll just leave it at that." Sabrina smiled as she hugged the Cullens hello. "I don't think my mom ever got that stain out," Sabrina added. "If we decide to ever do that again, we'll have to strategically position Emmett in front of one of my paintings that way the explosion will blend right in."

"Great idea, Snappy!" Emmett bellowed. "Do we have any chocolate liqueurs?"

"_No one_ is to mention chocolate liqueurs ever again in my presence!" Chera teased as she came in with George, Maisy, and my dad who was carrying a cardboard box.

We were all laughing as we did another round of hello hugs.

"What's in the box, Dad?" I asked hugging him.

"Jasper. He's not doing well."

"What?" Sabrina asked with concern coloring her tone. She came over to look in the box. "Aww, poor, Jazzy." Jasper the turtle's eyes were crusted shut. "When did this happen?"

"About two days ago. We thought you could take him to a vet here in Seattle. No one in Forks works with exotic creatures," Chera told us.

"Jasper's exotic?" Emmett asked incredulously.

Jasper number one smiled smugly. Alice nudged him, "The turtle, Jazz. They're referring to the turtle." Alice was shaking her head.

"I know. It's still nice to hear. I've never been called exotic before."

"You know what? I'll call up that weird kid in our botany class, Edward. You know the one I'm talking about? He tried to be my lab partner, but I told him Edward was my partner before Edward even agreed to it. I think his name is Don or Ron or something?"

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head, "His name is Derrick, Sabrina."

"Yeah, that's right, Derrick. He's weird, but he apparently knows his reptiles. I'll talk to your friend Derrick on Monday, Edward. I'll run Jasper over to our place for now though," Sabrina said before pausing, "Who's Don or Ron or whatever?"

"Derrick's not my friend, but you're thinking of Ronald, the weird kid in neuroanatomy," Edward reminded her.

"Yeah, that guy is strange too, but he doesn't know anything about reptiles I don't think."

"Wait. How do you know that Derrick guy knows about reptiles and why is he weird?" I asked Sabrina.

"The first day of botany we had to introduce ourselves and say what our favorite plant is. Edward's friend said _I'm Derrick and I don't really like plants but I do like reptiles, especially turtles._" Sabrina paused for effect, "Yeah, weird, right? He couldn't even make up a plant he liked. Why would I want to partner with someone who doesn't like plants for botany lab? So we'll see what all he knows. I mean, why would he lie about that?"

"So why's the other guy, Ronald, weird?" I asked.

"Oh, he has these crazy eyes when he's talking. I don't know. It's a little creepy and unsettling. I don't like to sit too close to him in case he asks for a pencil or something. He's probably fine, but I wouldn't want to be in a room alone with him. I made Edward take the seat next to him last class." I nodded. Yeah, he sounded a little shifty.

"We have Jasper's heat lamp in the car along with some box turtle food, but he hasn't eaten since his eyes aren't able to open." Chera handed Sabrina the keys to her car. Sabrina handed the box to Rylan as they left to get the lamp and food and put Jasper next door.

It's weird yet such a relief that Chera and George were so accepting of Sabrina moving in with Rylan. Sabrina talked to her mom after the initial announcement a week ago after we moved her into Rylan's condo, well, I guess now it's their condo. Sabrina didn't want to push the subject, but wanted to make sure her parents were indeed all right with it.

Chera reassured Sabrina that it was fine. I guess they saw something in the way Rylan treats Sabrina and how they are around each other. It really was like Rylan and Sabrina have known each other for years. Chera had mentioned how she thought it was a good idea for people to live together before they were to get married because then they could make sure they could get along. It would bring the divorce rate down in her opinion. Also, Chera and George really like the fact that Sabrina would still be close to Edward and me since we were like family to them. Sabrina didn't get another sex talk though. I thought it was too bad. Her sex talk stories are always so amusing.

While Sabrina and Rylan were gone, Chera and Maisy asked Rosalie about the pregnancy and how the honeymoon was. Rosalie was excited to show them pictures of their trip to Hawaii. They stayed at a really nice resort, of course. The only thing that really bummed Rosalie out was that she couldn't have much seafood because of the mercury content. And there was so much delicious looking seafood there. Other than that it was fun. She doesn't have morning sickness. Well, she doesn't throw up, but she does feel nauseated a lot. She carries saltine crackers with her everywhere now.

"Make sure you get enough rest, Rose," Chera advised her. "Because once the baby comes you won't get another full night's sleep ever again. Well, for three years at least," she clarified with a chuckle. "Have you had any cravings?"

"Mmm, no, not really."

"What? Whatever, Rosie," Emmett disagreed. He looked to Sabrina's mom. "Chera, she sent me out for tacos the other night at midnight. Good thing Taco Bell is open late, but then when I was on my way home she called and decided she didn't want them anymore! She wanted kiwi fruit and fried chicken instead!"

Chera, Rose and I were laughing. "What's so funny?" Maisy asked.

"Exactly, little bus driver. Exactly," Emmett remarked as he crouched down for Maisy to climb on for a piggyback ride. We laughed even harder at the nickname he still used for her.

"Did you ever get your kiwi and fried chicken, Rose?" Chera asked.

"Yes, Emmett stopped over here and next door at Sabrina's ad Rylan's and Alice's and Jasper's to raid their refrigerators. He brought back some really good food actually. I guess Rylan had made another tiramisu and Sabrina gave it up. It was even caffeine free, no espresso, like it was meant for me and the baby," she smiled.

"It was just for you, Rose," Sabrina said as she came back in and joined us. "I remember when Mom was pregnant with Maisy. You had such a sweet tooth, Mom. I know to be ready at any given moment with sweets."

"How are the mood swings?" Chera asked.

"Not bad," Rosalie said confidently. The rest of us just looked at each other as if she just announced she was having septuplets. "What?" She snapped.

"Exactly," Emmett said again as he set Maisy down after a circuit around the living room. Chera merely giggled.

Since they'd gotten back from the trip, Rosalie's moods were…erratic at best. We all tried to be very understanding. As understanding as we could be anyway. Rosalie does make it hard sometimes though. Surprisingly, Sabrina, who probably has the shortest temper out of all us, was exceptionally patient with Rose. I guess she relates to Rosalie the best because Chera's pregnancy is still fresh in her mind. That's not to say that Sabrina doesn't point out to Rosalie when she is being irrational. Sabrina will say, "Rose, I get that you're not completely yourself right now, but calm the smurf down." The rest of us just kind of took whatever Rosalie dished out, afraid she'd fall to pieces at any given moment if we upset her.

Anyway, Sabrina's still alive in that Rosalie did actually calm the smurf down and didn't tear off Sabrina's head for challenging her like we thought Rose would. For whatever reason, Sabrina has a calming effect on Rosalie, which we all appreciated her for.

Soon, other guests arrived. The Hales came by right before Rylan's mom, Nora, and Layla did. This was the first time Sabrina's parents met Dr. Jamison, though they had met Layla before. Layla and Maisy ran off to play while the adults were mingling. Edward and I had some games and Disney movies set up in one of the guest rooms for the girls to play in. We would check on them intermittently when we were giving tours.

Carlisle also chatted with Dr. Jamison about what Sabrina and Edward referred to as _the biz_, that is medicine. Later I noticed Dr. Jamison and Chera chatting. They seemed to be getting along just fine.

Everyone really liked the condo. Mrs. Hale and Dr. Jamison were especially interested in Sabrina's artwork. Sabrina took them next door to show them a couple more pieces that she brought back from the studio. I guess she was serious about making room for new stuff. Rylan told us that she was currently working on a really big painting, and since she works with the canvas flat on the floor rather than upright, the space in the studio was getting tight and she needed to bring most of it home.

Sabrina kept the paintings in the spare bedroom. On Chera's suggestion, Sabrina moved her stuff into the spare room to keep up the appearance that it was her own room. Chera said that it would make George feel a little better if he believed that she slept in there alone and not with Rylan. No matter how okay he was with Sabrina's move, no dad wants to think about his little girl that way. "I'm so lucky my parents approve of the arrangements, and if this makes George feel a little better then I'll play along," Sabrina had said.

Mrs. Hale and Dr. Jamison came back with paintings. Both were excited to have a new piece of artwork to hang. Dr. Jamison said she was going to put it up in her office at the hospital. Mrs. Hale actually had two canvases. One she was going to keep for herself and the other she was going to use in a silent auction as part of the fundraiser for the children's wing of the hospital in Forks.

All of our parents left soon after the paintings were given out. We all hung out for a little while cleaning a bit, though nothing was really out of place, and we destroyed what was left of the food, except for the custard cups. I shudder just thinking about them. I can't get the image of Emmett and Rylan spewing custard into the sink out of my head. Anyway, we sent those home with Charlie.

Sabrina brought her laptop over to do a little research. "Hey, Edward. It looks like Jasper may have a vitamin A deficiency."

"No, I don't!" Jasper number one protested.

"The turtle, Jazz! The turtle!" Alice yelled at her fiancé again.

Sabrina laughed as she continued. "It's pretty common in turtles. We'll see if your friend gets this right."

"For the last time, he's not my friend, Sabrina. Just because I knew his name…" Edward's frustration on this matter was amusing. He should know by now that Sabrina likes to refer to people she either doesn't like or doesn't know as _your friend_, not staking any claim on them. She used to refer to Tanya as his _codependent friend_.

Speaking of Tanya, the next day Sabrina and I were taking a walk and stopped for some coffee when who should come into the café behind us? Yep. She-who-shall-not-be named, as Sabrina dubbed her after the breakup. That and Gargomel the night we were out for Edward's birthday.

Sabrina and I were sitting talking when Tanya came up to our table. We didn't notice at first because we were so engrossed in our conversation about art, but Tanya had cleared her throat as she stood there in front of us. We looked up at her blankly. It was a bit awkward to say the least.

"Hello, Sabrina. Bella." She was eyeing us. Her eyes lingered on my engagement ring.

"Oh. Hello, Tanya," Sabrina managed to greet her. I merely nodded my hello. "What's up?" Sabrina asked.

"Just stopped by to say hello. You girls were really into your conversation," she laughed uncomfortably.

"Yep, we were. Did you need anything else, Tanya?" Sabrina asked.

Tanya smiled as if to say _Yes, thanks for asking._ "Actually, Sabrina, we have something in common."

"Do we?" Sabrina tried to feign interest. It didn't work. At least I saw through it.

"Yes, see, I'm dating a football player too now." She was beaming.

"Okay, great," Sabrina commented lamely. Tanya didn't seem to notice Sabrina's tone. I don't think Sabrina could care any less about who Tanya is currently dating.

"Mmhmm, it is actually. His name is Tanner Dickenson. Do you know him? He knows you. Anyway, I don't know what position he plays though. We've only just started dating. I met him at a party last week. I mean, who really cares about football right? He looks really good in his outfit though. I haven't actually seen him play, but I made him put on the football outfit for…" she paused giggling her annoying giggle. Sabrina and I exchanged a quick glance and eye roll as Tanya continued, "Well, _you know_. Anyway, you'll probably be seeing more of me at the football functions, like the dinner next Sunday? What are you going to wear to it, Sabrina? I was thinking of the dress I wore to the Club Luxe the night we were there for Edward's birthday, but I think your guy already got an eyeful of me that night. Oh, but don't worry, Sabrina, there's nothing going on between us," she giggled and play swatted at Sabrina's arm. "Oh, Bella, I just want you to know that I'm really happy for you and Edward. I always did know you'd get your claws in him someday," She giggled again keeping her tone light. I wonder if she's drunk. "And I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your little house warming yesterday. Tanner and I were a bit…occupied _all day!_ You girls know how that is , I'm sure. Ooo, look at the time I need to go. I'll see you girls later!" And she left.

Sabrina and I just stared incredulously at each other for about thirty seconds. I was so confused.

"Anyway, I was thinking I would try mixed media on my next piece," Sabrina finished whatever sentence she had started before the bizarre interruption.

"I think that's a great idea," I told her. It was as if we weren't just privy to a soliloquy by my fiancé's ex-girlfriend who was sort of insinuating my best friend's live-in boyfriend was interested in said ex. Then we laughed as we finally acknowledged Tanya had indeed rambled on and on to us about who knows what.

Sabrina shook her head, "What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea. Do you think she's up to something?" I asked.

Sabrina shrugged. "Who knows with that girl. I swear she just talks to hear herself talk. I still have no idea what Edward saw in her besides the obvious physical features." Big boobs, long legs. Men are pigs.

"Do you know Tanner?"

Sabrina snorted, "Uh, yeah. He's only the starting quarterback. Tanner's actually a nice guy. Wonder what he's doing with her," Sabrina mused. I opened my mouth to say something but Sabrina beat me to it. "I mean, besides _you know_." She imitated Tanya's voice. We both laughed. "And _all day? _ Come on. Doesn't she have stuff to do? Homework? Laundry? I'm surprised she's not chafing today. And how does she not know the guy she's allegedly dating is the quarterback? Un-smurfing-believable. Can girls be tools? Because she's definitely a tool."

I nodded in agreement. "Definitely. So, what was she talking about with the dinner next Sunday?"

Sabrina shrugged again, "No idea. But I'm about to find out." She looked up and smiled. Edward and Rylan had just walked in to the coffee shop. "And how the hell did she know about the house warming?" I shrugged.

The guys got their drinks and headed over to us. "Hey, studs, grab some plastic," Sabrina told them as we scooted out chairs over to fit theirs at the little table. "Fancy meeting you guys here."

"Yeah, we heard this is where all the pretty girls come to get their coffee. Looks like they were right," Rylan grinned as he gave Sabrina a quick kiss. "So what's going on?"

"Quite a lot apparently," I said. Sabrina and I both smirked at each other.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked.

"Guess who we just ran into," I told him. Edward shrugged and shook his head.

"Your codependent friend," Sabrina said. Edward shrugged again. "Oh come on, Edward. How many codependent friends do you have?"

"It varies from day to day," he joked.

"How many codependent friends do you have that you've dated for four years and who is a skank?" I widened my eyes at her word choice. Actually, for Sabrina, that was pretty tame. "Hey, let's call a spade a spade."

"Tanya?" Edward asked.

"Ding. Ding. That's correct. Bella, tell him what he wins."

"One night's sleep on the sofa unless he comes up with some acceptable answers and fast," I said. Sabrina and I were both laughing.

Edward look thoroughly confused. "I don't get it. How much caffeine have you two consumed already?"

"Edward, how did Tanya know about our engagement and the housewarming?" I asked him.

"Umm, I told her about the engagement. I ran in to her at the grocery store and we chatted. Is that acceptable?" he asked cautiously. I nodded.

"What about the housewarming?" I asked.

Edward shrugged. "I did not invite her nor did I even tell her about it." Edward actually looked dumbstruck as to how Tanya knew about it. Sabrina and I looked at each other and shrugged.

"Um, that was all me." We all looked at Rylan in confusion. "Well, indirectly. Tanner had asked what I was doing on Saturday and I told him. I didn't invite him. In fact, I told him it was strictly family. It was in front of Tanya though." He made a face. Rylan did look repentant.

"Rylan!" Sabrina scolded.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Whatever. No harm done. But she did mention something about a dinner next Sunday? Apparently it's some sort of football function?"

Rylan looked confused. "Uh, coach is having the team over for a grill out after the game on Saturday. I think it's just the team though. I'll check. Did you want to go, Sabrina?"

She laughed. "I'll pass if it's just the boys. Edward's friend made it sound like it was a black tie affair. Well, she's planning on crashing it anyway, in a skin tight dress of all things, but she's got her dates mixed up. Anyhoo, my dad's coming to watch your game next Saturday and bringing my Grampa Lou too so I'll be hanging with them. I do want you to meet Grampa Lou though. He's excited to meet you. He loves football. He'll most likely want to meet your coach too."

"Maybe you and your dad and Lou can come to the cook out then on Saturday. I'll make sure with coach, well more importantly, coach's wife." Rylan smiled.

Edward and I were curious to meet Lou ourselves. We've heard her mention Grampa Lou before but we've never met him or seen pictures. Lou's not her real grandfather, but she's known him her whole life. Her great uncle worked with Lou but Sabrina never mentioned specifics. On vacations she and her cousin would play with Lou's grandkids at Lou's beach house. They all still kept in touch mostly through email.

We were heading back to the condos. "Wow, Tanya tried to stir things up a little didn't she?" I mused. "Good thing we know better than to take her seriously."

"Yeah, hey, Ry. Do you know that she doesn't even know Tanner's position?" Then Sabrina laughed before she continued. "Let me clarify, she's not aware of Tanner's position _on the football team_." We all just shook our heads. "Tanya's a piece of... work."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N Firstly, I don't own Twilight-you knew that. Secondly, how lucky are you guys right about now? Um, I hope your answer is extremely and that you know it. This is the result of me having an exam I should be reviewing for--which I'll get to. I wanted to share this chappie with you first though to see how you guys like it. I have priorities you know? New PoV as you can see below. Just testing the waters here. Don't anybody freak out! I'll be back to the usual PoVs, but let me know what you think. Grampa Lou is based on a real person. I have changed/altered the name of the real person who, by the way, I have indeed met and extended family members have worked with and are friendly with him. That being said, enjoy the bonus chapter...Oh, don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 25 Rylan PoV (Yeah, that's right)**

"They all look the same. This doesn't make sense. How am I supposed to know which is which?" Sabrina was cursing her neuroanatomy book and lecture notes. She was sitting on the floor in the living room surrounded by about twenty pieces of paper each with a similar picture on it. Apparently they were cross sections of the brain and spinal cord. She and Edward had an exam the next day.

Sabrina continued to mumble to herself, oblivious to me watching her from the kitchen counter. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were pursed in concentration. She looked adorable. She always looks adorable. And when she isn't looking adorable, she's looking sexy and beautiful. The best part is, she has no idea. She doesn't even have to try to be attractive. She just is. She has no idea what she does to me. I've told her that, but I really don't think she gets it. She's the most important thing in my life.

I smiled as she grew more frustrated with the study material. She continued to mumble under her breath as she slammed her book shut and looked as if she was about to chuck it across the room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath instead.

"Serenity now. Serenity now," she said quietly.

"Are you talking to yourself again, Sabrina?" I asked from the kitchen.

She opened her eyes to look at me and instantly a smile formed on her perfect lips, revealing her pearly white teeth to me. I could look at that smile forever.

"Mmhmm. Sometimes it's the most intelligent conversation I have all day."

"Thanks a lot," I retorted feigning hurt. I had to smile back at her though. She has a comment for everything. "You look like you could use a break." I brought her a bottle of water. I extended my hand to her. She took it and I pulled her up off of the floor.

"Thanks."

I sat on the sofa and pulled her into my lap. She rested her head in the crook of my neck. I love it when she does that. I could feel her breath on my skin. Never would I tire of that. I have to pinch myself sometimes to check that I'm awake and this isn't a dream. Never have I met anyone who has captured my heart and mind the way this woman has. I'm not sure what she sees in me, but I'm amazed and ecstatic that she is just as in love with me as I am with her. After the fight we had about her moving in with me I vowed to never make her doubt me again. Ever. I don't think my heart could take it if I have to see the same sadness she had in her eyes that night.

Had I known that Layla had such a beautiful and charming dance instructor I would have volunteered to pick her up from lessons sooner. Hell, I would have taken her to lessons myself and stayed to watch Sabrina teach. At first I didn't think she was interested in me at all. After all, I was just another guy hitting on her. I had asked her out a couple times and she had been busy both times. I thought she was trying to be polite instead of shooting me down directly, but that obviously isn't her style. Turns out she really was busy. Then I had football practices and had to be content with seeing Sabrina the three times a week for a few minutes at a time when I picked Layla up. But then we got to talking and found out how much we had in common. And now look at us. It's amazing what can happen in a matter of a couple months. Our sisters get along. Our parents get along and we get along with the other's parents. It's perfect.

"Can I help?"

"What do you know about the corpus callosum, caudate neucleus, putamen, septum pellucidum, optic nerve and chiasm?"

"Um, less than nothing. What do _you_ know about them?"

She laughed. "Maybe just a smidge more than you, but not much more."

"Tell me about them then," I said.

She laughed again. "Yeah right. You want to hear all about the frontal and parietal lobes too?"

"Absolutely. Go," I prodded her.

"Okay. You asked for it…" and she prattled on and on about the brain and all its different regions. Honestly, it was like she was speaking in another language entirely. I listened to her. I didn't understand a bit of it, but I listened and asked her to explain more about certain regions. I was riveted. Sabrina could read the ingredients off a can of soup and I'd listen.

By midnight she finished telling me about the various parts of the brain and she even showed me the pictures. That was my crash course in neuroanatomy. The brain is rather fascinating, but it's not my cup of tea.

"Wow," she yawned and stretched. "I guess I know more than I thought. I just got through twelve hours of lecture material in three."

"Excellent. Now are you ready to go to bed?"

"Yep. Hmm, I was thinking…" she got up from the sofa and laid on the floor on top of her notes and pictures of the brain using her textbook as a pillow. "If I slept on this stuff would my brain absorb it all overnight? I should try it."

I laughed. This woman is nuts. "No, I'm no biology major, but I don't think it's physically possible. So, you'll have to sleep in the bed with me. Sorry."

"Eh, it's just as well. This textbook isn't as comfy as the crook. Beam me up, Scotty."

I chuckled as I scooped her up and carried her bridal style to the bedroom. I set her down by the bed and she stripped down to her underwear throwing her clothes into the hamper and was waiting patiently for me to remove my t-shirt so that she can wear it to sleep. Once she gets my shirt, she then does this thing where she unhooks her bra and then somehow pulls it out of one sleeve. It's amazing. It's like magic. Must be a girl thing. It's definitely sexy. This has been the routine for some time now. It's beyond me why she would want to wear my t-shirts, but my shirts have never looked better than when Sabrina's wearing them except when they're crumpled on the floor.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. I had a couple political science and law ethics exams myself. Needless to say Sabrina and Edward survived the exam in neuro. They were comparing answers to the tougher questions when I found them in one of the quads burning some time before their second botany lab for the week. It seemed like they both had the same answers, much to their relief.

Sabrina had talked to Derrick, or Turtle-boy as she referred to him. Derrick was actually very helpful. He gave us drops for Jasper's eyes and helped to nurse Jasper back to health.

In another turn of events, Turtle-boy was accepted by Sabrina to join her and Edward in botany lab. Apparently the numbers were uneven and Derrick was the odd one out, I wonder why. So Sabrina and Edward graciously took him in. Derrick, surprisingly, was quite knowledgeable and helpful in lab and they got along great. Plants just aren't his favorite subject is all. Sabrina even paired up with Crazy-eyes from neuro once when they had to partner up and discuss something in class. She said he wasn't too bad if you could get past the frightened slash surprised look he always had in his eyes. She called this an exercise in tolerance.

The biggest surprise of the week came after my game on Saturday. Sabrina, her dad, Grampa Lou, Edward, and Bella all came to the game. I was supposed to meet Lou afterwards at coach's house for the grill out. Sabrina had texted me when they were on their way. Now Sabrina told me that Grampa Lou loves football and knows strategies and all, but nothing, and I mean _nothing_, could have prepared me for this meeting. I had told coach that Sabrina's Grampa Lou wanted to meet him and he allowed for Lou to come over. I was under the impression that Lou was just another die hard college football fan, which he is and then some, which I would soon learn. I relayed the information to coach that Lou knows his X's and O's. "Sure, sure. I'll meet him," coach assented.

So I was waiting in front of coach's house for Sabrina and her dad and Lou to pull up. I had gotten a text from Edward. _**Hold on 2 ur hat when u meet Grampa Lou! Haha.**_ I wondered what that meant.

I recognized George's Volvo wagon. Sabrina has one just like it but quite a few years older and more beat up. She calls her wagon the Punisher because it's like a tank and could take out any car in a crash. Sabrina parked her dad's car and I walked over to her as she got out.

She gave me a huge smile when she saw me approach. "Great game!" She greeted me with a fist pound and a hug and kiss as her dad and Lou got out of the car.

"Thanks," I replied with a huge smile myself. How did I luck out and get a girlfriend who is beautiful, smart, funny, talented, _and_ loves football? I definitely hit the jackpot.

"Rylan, I want you to meet my Grampa Lou."

I looked over to the man she was referring to and my jaw dropped. I was frozen and speechless for about ten seconds.

"Good to meet you, son. Hell of a game today," Lou reached his hand out for me to shake.

I felt Sabrina nudge me, "Rylan." I was still in shock.

I managed to compose myself in time to shake his hand, "Coach Holtzen, it's so great to meet you. I'm a huge fan of yours, sir, huge!" I was gushing like a teenage girl at a Jonas Brothers concert, except I wasn't crying…not yet anyway. I couldn't help it. It's not everyday you get to meet one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and he happens to be Sabrina's Grampa Lou? Un-smurfin-believable! I noticed George chuckling at my reaction. I turned my attention to him and shook his hand too.

"Another great game, Rylan. You should be very proud of yourself, son," George said.

I smiled. "Thanks. It was a tough game though. Ready to come in? Coach and the guys are going to flip out when they see you, Coach Holtzen." Lou was laughing. I'm sure he's used to guys drooling all over him. "Do you mind if I go in ahead and prep them?"

"I thought you told them we were coming," Sabrina commented. Her head was tilted and her brows were furrowed. Her lips were almost in a pout. I would have kissed her then and there if A-her dad weren't there and B-I weren't so distracted by being in the presence of a coaching genius.

I looked at her like she was crazy. All I told them was that her Grampa Lou was coming, not the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. He is also a multiple winner of National Coach of the Year honors. This is Coach Lou Holtzen, Dr. Lou himself. To her he was Grampa Lou. To the rest of us he was a football god and coaching legend. "Just wait here a second, okay?" I brought them through the house and left them in the kitchen as I proceeded to the backyard where everyone was.

"Hey, guys!" I yelled to get their attention. "Sabrina's here with her dad and _Grampa Lou!_" I put the _Grampa Lou_ part in quotatation marks with my fingers.

"So, where are they?" Tanner yelled back.

I smiled and opened the door. Sabrina walked out to some applause and whistles. She smirked at the guys and gave a little curtsy. Then George came out. "This is Mr.

George Kingston…" Everyone said hello and George waved to the crowd of guys. "And this is Sabrina's Grampa Lou."

I opened the door for Coach Holtzen to come out. When he came into view of the guys they all became silent. This group of football players has never been quieter or better behaved. The looks on their faces certainly matched mine when I first realized who Grampa Lou was. Utter shock.

Tanner was the first brave soul to come up to Coach Holtzen and shake his hand. "It's an honor to meet you sir. I'm Tanner Dickenson, quarterback."

"Nice job today, son. I was impressed with your heady play under pressure out there. You really kept your cool," Lou said to Tanner.

Tanner was again in shock then a huge grin formed on his face as he realized he just got a tremendous compliment from Lou Holtzen. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

And so the rest of the guys and coach came up to Lou and shook his hand. While everyone was busy with Lou I went over to sit with Sabrina and her dad. They were talking when I approached. Sabrina gave me another big smile when she looked up and saw me.

"Everyone seems like they're having a good time," she commented.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You just made their decade, maybe even their whole existence. This is just amazing. It's such an honor to meet him." I was still in a bit of shock.

"He wanted to meet you too, Ry. He's been watching what you're doing out there. He's impressed with your stats. Lou says others have noticed as well. There's Heisman Trophy talk going on about you."

I looked at her, my eyes wide. "Believe it, son," George confirmed.

"No way," I said.

Sabrina shrugged. "Fine, just wait. Lou will tell you himself."

I left with Sabrina and her family after about an hour and a half. Lou looked like he could use a break from the football players turned fangirls. I admit. I was one of them. We went back to our condo where Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett joined us. Sabrina wanted the rest of her friends to meet her Grampa Lou as well. Edward already met Lou, hence the text, but Jasper and Emmett had not. They were just as flabbergasted as I was. I guess it goes to show Sabrina isn't out to name drop or impress anyone. But now that I think about it, she once had expressed some concern for Lou when he was on ESPN late one night. Sabrina said it was too late for Lou to work and that he needed to get his rest. She also wondered about whether or not he had his pajama bottoms on because we couldn't see his pants on camera. He was wearing a blazer up top.

I kept getting text messages from the guys on the team the rest of the day thanking me for bringing Lou to the meet them. I tried telling them I had no idea, but they wouldn't believe me. I still can't believe Lou Holtzen met my coach and teammates and even gave us a pep talk. He's one of the greatest motivational speakers of all time.

The girls had gone off to Bella and Edward's condo to do some wedding planning. Hopefully Bella could get some reconnaissance done for me. They left us guys here to talk to Lou. Lou confirmed what Sabrina and George said about Heisman Trophy buzz about me. He admitted that it's a long shot since our school isn't the most prominent, but there was still buzz. To have my name uttered in the same sentence as _Heisman Trophy_ is unbelievable. Right before they were to leave, we took George and Lou next door to say goodbye to the girls and also to show Lou some of Sabrina's art. Lou was impressed of course. "I don't usually like modern art, Brina, but this is all right." So Sabrina sent Lou home with one of her creations.

Emmett chuckled when he heard Lou call Sabrina _Brina_. Sabrina gave him a severe look clearly conveying _Emmett, do_ _not even think about it_. Emmett immediately shut up. It's amazing how well they all know each other.

After George and Lou left, Sabrina took Rosalie and Alice back over to our place to show Rosalie the paintings in Sabrina's spare bedroom. I thought it was funny that she wanted to make it look like the room was hers, but I totally understand the reasoning. I don't want to think of our daughter as a sexual being either. Wait. _Our daughter? _Where did that come from? We're not even married. We're not even engaged…yet.

While the other girls were gone, Edward turned on ESPN to check out scores and highlights from games today. Bella and I went to get some drinks from the kitchen.

"Did you find out anything, Bella?" I asked.

She smiled, "Of course. I'm confirming what I've already told you."

I smiled, "Great. Thanks." I've got quite a bit to think about now.

Later that night we were in the bedroom, and Sabrina had begun the usual routine. She was waiting for me to remove my t-shirt, but I just kept staring at her, taking in her beautiful form.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" she complained, head tilted with a half smile. My god, I'm the luckiest man on earth. "Hello? Where's my shirt?"

I shook my head. "I don't think you need it. You look fine without it actually."

"Are you suggesting we breach protocol? I want the shirt, Ry."

"Why?" I asked with genuine interest.

"Because it smells like you. I like being wrapped up in your scent. It's like your arms are always around me and it keeps me warm."

"But I hold you when we're in bed anyway."

"Yes, but not throughout the _whole_ night. Why do you think I always put your shirts back on after…_you know_?" Sabrina laughed. At what? I don't know. That was weird she made her voice high pitched and annoying. I decided to ignore it. I had other priorities.

"Well, what if I promised to hold you all night to keep you warm and you could still have my scent on you?" I asked approaching her. She was kneeling at the edge of the bed almost eye level to me. I place my arms around her. My hands were resting on the small of her back. I placed a kiss on her perfect pout.

"How can you guarantee that?" she eyed me warily.

"I can do it. I _will_ do it. If I don't you can have whatever you want," I promised.

"I already get whatever I want," she smiled. This was true.

"Come on Sabrina."

She laughed. "Okay, okay. If I end up cold and can't smell your scent tonight you will give me something I want, which will be named at a later date, and what if you succeed? What do you want?"

"I want to continue this new protocol every night until there is a lapse in the warmth and scent. How's that?"

"Really?" She asked. I nodded. "Well, except for the monthly exception," she added.

I nodded. "Except for that." She laughed at the gravity of my tone.

"Okay then, beefcake. How does this new protocol work?"

I smiled as I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "You still do the part where you strip down to your skivvies…" I left a trail of kisses down her neck to her shoulder and collarbone. Sabrina let out a small gasp. I loved that sound from her. "Then I get to do this…" I unhooked her bra and removed it myself. I caressed and kissed every new part of her that I exposed. The little moans she let escape were even better than the gasps. "And then _we_ get to do this…"

And true to my word, I did not let go of her all night. There was no annoying fabric separating her from me. I liked this new protocol. Quite a bit.

**A/N Sabrina's a lucky girl. 'nuff said.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N Yep, I still don't own Twilight. Anyhoo, kind of a filler chapter, but I have to set things up somehow. More shenanigans to come for sure so stay tuned and review, people. I know you're out there. My hits to reviews ratio is really sad. Tons of hits. Few reviews. So I've got the Review Crew and Hit-and-Runners. Which one are you? Review and let me know ;p **

**Chapter 26 EPoV**

"Don't do it, Rosie," Emmett warned. Rosalie shot him a death glare.

"Why not? If we're paying for this food we should be satisfied with it."

"But there's nothing _wrong_ with the food. _You_ just don't want to eat it," Jasper pointed out.

"_And_?" Rosalie was clearly expecting a better answer for why she shouldn't send her food back. She was reneging on her cravings again.

It was Friday night and we were at Niki's, the Greek restaurant that the girls really like. Rosalie had a craving so we decided to meet there for dinner since it had been a couple weeks since we had all hung out together. The last time we were all together was when Grampa Lou visited. I still can't believe he was over at my house. We still give Sabrina a hard every once in a while for holding out on us like that. She really didn't consider him a celebrity though. Unbelievable. Lou smurfing Holtzen!

"_And_ that's not a valid reason for sending it back. Maybe if there were a hair in it or too much salt, but your meal is fine. It's _you _that changed your mind about eating it," Jasper tried to reason with her.

"It's not what I thought it would be like," Rosalie explained with a shrug.

"It's exactly what the waiter said it would be like," Emmett pointed out.

Thank goodness Sabrina stepped in. "Rose, you would be compromising the quality of your food if you send that back to the kitchen without a valid excuse. May I suggest that we keep this entree and we can order you something else?" Sabrina asked calmly.

"You think they'll spit in my food or something?" Rose asked incredulously.

"Or worse. You never know. All I'm saying is I wouldn't send it back. Just keep it. Emmett'll eat it," Sabrina suggested.

"Uh-uh. No way," Emmett protested. "I'm on a diet."

"What?" We all asked in surprise.

"Why are you on a diet, Emmett?" Bella asked laughing.

"Look at this?" he told us as he patted his belly. "I've gained more weight from this pregnancy than Rosie has. And we're still only in the first trimester. I'm going to be as big as a house if I keep going at this rate."

We were all eyeing his stomach. Yeah, he did look a little bigger around the middle. No one argued with him on that. But he wasn't overweight.

"You don't need to diet, Em. Why don't you just exercise more?" Sabrina asked. "Walk around the block once in a while. Do a sit-up or two. Why cut out food? Especially really good food. That's just crazy."

"Nope, I'm on a diet. That's why I'm only having a salad tonight."

Sabrina shook her head. "You're only having a salad _here_. You are so going to binge when you get home, Emmett. That salad is not going to satisfy you. Stop lying to yourself."

Rosalie laughed. "I know, Sabrina. He's been on this so-called diet for a week now and I've yet to see him cut back."

Emmett pursed his lips and glared at his wife. "You know it's _your_ fault I've gained all this weight, Rosie." Uh-oh.

"How is it my fault?" Rosalie asked angrily.

"Because you keep craving stuff and then I get it for you and then you change your mind so I have to eat it because otherwise the food will go to waste!"

"Well _excuse me_ for being _pregnant_! If you want to play the blame game let's just get to the root of it shall we? _You're _the reason I'm pregnant you know. So it's your own fault that you're gaining weight, chunk master!" She was near tears. Oh, no.

We were all stunned. We were watching them argue back and forth like we were at a tennis match.

"_Chunk master? _I'm a _Chunk master_? Well if I'm a chunk master, you're a…"

Sabrina was nearest, as she was sitting on the other side of him, so she must have kicked him under the table cutting him off. The rest of us were waiting with bated breath for Emmett to get stabbed in the forehead with a fork by his wife once he finished whatever comment he was about to make. They would be the last words he'd utter.

"Ow! What the…?" he turned his head and snapped at Sabrina.

"You do not want to finish that sentence, Em," Sabrina told him barely moving her lips and giving him a severe look. He looked at the rest of us who were shaking our heads slightly as to back up Sabrina.

"I'm a _what?_" Rosalie dared him to continue.

Luckily, Emmett came to his senses. He swallowed hard and said, "You're absolutely right, dear. I'm sorry." Oh, man. What a pansy! I would have done the same thing though. Anyway, Sabrina's already established on many an occasion that I'm a pansy. I guess I'm in good company.

Rosalie smiled. I think we all gave a collective sigh of relief. "Aww, Emmett," she placed a hand on his cheek as they shared an intimate moment looking into each other's eyes. Yes, this was getting more and more uncomfortable for the rest of us. "You're not a chunk master. You're just pleasantly plump." Rosalie rubbed Emmett's stomach with her other hand as they leaned in and kissed. Not just a quick kiss. We would have been able to stomach that. No, they were practically making out right in front of us. Poor Sabrina was really looking uncomfortable since she had to crank her head the opposite direction to keep them out of her line of vision.

When it was clear that they weren't going to stop any time soon, Jasper got up. "Alright. That's it. I've lost my appetite. I don't need to see this. Who's ready to go?" Luckily, we had eaten most of our food already before the argument.

The rest of us stood up immediately. We threw some money on the table and were about to leave Emmett and Rosalie in their own little world when they finally came up for air.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Emmett asked confused.

"Have a good night, you two," Alice giggled as we were filing out.

Sabrina and Rylan drove with Bella and me while Jasper and Alice followed us as we headed back to the condos.

It's just as well that we left the restaurant early. I had a piano delivered the day before and just got it tuned so I was anxious to play it. Bella really wanted to hear me play as well. Alice and Jasper were also interested in seeing it. It's just a simple upright. It's no baby grand like at home, but I still liked it.

"It's so cute, Edward!" Alice gushed. How can a piano be cute? I don't know, but leave it to Alice to point it out.

"Thanks, Alice," I replied.

"I had lessons on one that was just like this," Sabrina said.

We all looked at her. Piano too? What doesn't she know how to do?

"How come you've never mentioned that you play?" Bella asked.

"Oh, I don't play. I just had lessons. I haven't played since I was ten. I only took lessons for two years. I hated my piano teacher. She was so mean." Sabrina shuddered. "I was so mad at George and Chera for subjecting me to her. I still hold it against them sometimes. It's really good leverage."

"Really? What was wrong with your piano teacher?" I asked.

"Mrs. Crabbe, and no joke, that was her name, was super old. She would yell at me when I hit the wrong note. I was eight! It's gonna happen. And then she would smack my fingers and ask what was the matter with me. I hated piano lessons!"

"Didn't you tell your parents? I don't see them allowing you to get abused by your piano teacher," Alice remarked.

"Oh, I told them and of course they asked Mrs. Crabbe about it, but she was sweet as pie to them. She had my parents snowed. She told them that I had an overactive imagination and just needed to practice more. Well, let's face it, I do have an overactive imagination, but I didn't make that stuff up. I refused to practice just to aggravate all of them even more. Oh, and then I'd hide before lessons so they'd have to spend part of the allotted lesson time trying to find me."

"I bet that made the old lady even madder," Jasper commented.

Sabrina shook her head. "Not really, but at least it made the lesson that much shorter. Mrs. Crabbe was, well, crabby anyway so it wasn't like I was worsening her disposition."

"So what finally ended the lessons? Did your parents finally figure it out?" Rylan asked.

"Nope, she died, and no, I didn't do it. She passed away from natural causes. She was really old. I swear she was like a hundred thirty." We gave her _Yeah, right!_ look. "Okay, maybe a little younger but not much younger. I'm telling you, the good die young, but mean people live forever! I'm lucky she was already really old when she started teaching me because I'd probably still be taking lessons from her if she were still alive. Actually, at her funeral, some former students of hers had shown up and my parents talked to them. The students totally confirmed what I told my parents about Mrs. Crabbe, and that's when they felt all repentant." She shook her head.

"Wow!" was all we could say.

"Anyway, play, Edward!" Sabrina smiled brightly.

I was curious though. "So did you actually learn anything, Sabrina? Or did you just avoid lessons and hide instead of practicing for two years?" I asked.

"The only thing I can play is _Chopsticks _and not well_," _she laughed.

"Let's hear it," I said.

Sabrina shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She sat down and started playing. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't good, at least not at first, but not bad for not having touched a piano in over ten years. Luckily, it's a song where once you start playing a little bit you get the hang of it again. It's much like riding a bicycle. _Chopsticks _was one of the first pieces I learned. I sat next to Sabrina on the bench and started playing along side her. I was playing at her pace at first then we started increasing the tempo. Suddenly we were playing _Chopsticks_ really fast like a couple of maniacs. It was actually fun and funny when she hit a bad note, which she did often. When we finished, our friends clapped for us. We were all laughing as Sabrina and I pounded fists. That was hilarious.

Then Sabrina got up. "Now, show us how a piano should really be played, Edward."

She went to sit down next to Rylan. He smiled at her, "Very nice, Sabrina. And no one smacked your fingers!" She just made a face at him right before he kissed her quickly on the lips. They looked really happy together.

Actually, knowing that Sabrina can play piano gave me a really great idea. It would take some convincing, I'm sure, but if I got Rylan on my side first I think I could pull it off…

Everyone looked pretty comfortable on the sofas so I started playing Esme's favorite, which they hadn't heard in a while. While I was playing, I was hatching my plan to try to get Sabrina to let me teach her some piano. After that whole Mrs. Crabbe trauma she probably wouldn't want to, but if I can get her to see how this plan would benefit Bella, me and even Sabrina herself there's no way she'd refuse lessons. I felt a little guilty planning to use Sabrina's friendship and loyalty for my own benefit, but ultimately I think Sabrina will be glad to learn, really learn, piano. I'd have to talk to Rylan as soon as I could.

Esme's song is another fun one to play. Again, once I hit the last note everyone was applauding.

Afterward we just sat around talking. I grabbed a bottle of beer for Jasper, and myself and water for the others.

"That was a weird night at the Niki's, huh?" Jasper asked.

We all chuckled at the memory of Emmett and Rosalie's fight turned make out session.

"Those two are too funny," Bella said.

"Pregnancy is a beautiful and scary thing!" Alice declared.

"True, that!" Sabrina agreed. "Emmett has his hands full. Oh, speaking of hands full, can any of you guys go with Rosalie to her check up next Wednesday? Emmett's got a huge delivery to receive I have botany and then art."

"I can," Bella volunteered. "I'm done with class at noon."

"Oh, me too." Alice was also free. "I can go too!"

"Aww, I'm going to miss a girls' afternoon," Sabrina pouted. "Maybe I should skip art class. I can put in extra time a couple evenings next week to make up for it…"

Alice was bouncing up and down. My sister is so spastic. "Yea! Girls' day!"

"Um, just try to not get so emotional this time," Jasper warned. "You girls were a mess that night before the wedding."

Jasper suddenly was on the receiving end of three different death glares. This was the first time their emotional circus was talked about in the open. They were not happy about it being brought up. That was clear.

I have to say I understand. They were having a private emotional outburst amongst themselves and we went and intruded on it. Not cool. That's why we guys didn't say a word about it that night. Bella and I have talked about it only once since it happened. She said that at the time they were really sad about how much things were changing and that they wouldn't get to hang out like old times anymore. I guess it's all a part of growing up.

I think Jasper realized he put his foot in his mouth exactly one millisecond after he said it. He cringed before Alice even took a breath to let him have it.

"Don't tell us what to do, Jasper. It's healthy to vent feelings. You should know that, Mr. Psych major," Alice yelled at him. "If we happen to get a little emotional, it's our prerogative, Bobby Brown!"

"Um, Alice, wouldn't that make _us_ Bobby Brown if it's _our_ prerogative?" Sabrina asked. Alice narrowed her eyes at Sabrina. "I'm just saying…I mean Bobby sang the song so would he really be saying _It's my prerogative_ to himself?"

Jasper, Bella, Rylan and I started snickering a little as Alice continued to stare at Sabrina, who decided to quit trying to show Alice logic. "Nevermind, Alice. It doesn't even matter…"

"So…" Rylan jumped in, in an attempt to rescue his girlfriend. Little did he know he was about to get into trouble himself. "Sabrina, I told Tanner we'd go out with him and Tanya tomorrow evening…"

We all turned our heads so fast to look at Rylan, we could have gotten whiplash.

"That's really funny, Rylan!" Sabrina started laughing. Rylan wasn't laughing though. In fact he was looking a little frightened, as well he should. Sabrina stopped laughing and stared him down instead. "You _are_ joking, right?"

Rylan swallowed hard as his eyes clearly conveyed the realization that death may be near because he, indeed, was not joking.

"Wow, look at the time. We should be going," Jasper decided. Alice jumped to her feet.

"Bye, guys! We'll see you tomorrow…maybe," Alice added the last part vaguely. "Good luck in the game tomorrow, Rylan!"

"Bye, Alice," Sabrina said without looking at my sister. She was still staring incredulously at Rylan.

"Thanks, Alice," Rylan replied tentatively with a nervous smile.

"Good luck_ tonight_," Alice said under her breath as she and Jasper left. "Great piano playing, Sabrina. You too, Edward."

Sabrina and I yelled our thanks to the door closing behind Alice and Jasper. When it finally closed I turned my attention back to the possible homicide Bella and I were about to bear witness to.

"Seriously, Rylan?" Sabrina asked.

Rylan nodded, "Well, it's no big thing. It's just dinner at Tanner's. You know Tanner and I are pretty good friends. We haven't really hung out much except for football related activities. It would really mean a lot to Tanner, and you'd be doing me a solid…" He drifted off.

"You expect me to sit down to a meal with Tanya? I have to interact with her socially? And most distressingly, I have to be _nice_ to her?"

Rylan smiled optimistically, "Is that a _yes_?"

Sabrina narrowed her eyes at Rylan. "It's a strong _maybe_. _And_ it means a break in protocol." And with that she stormed out going next door.

Rylan, looking tortured, was about to get up and follow her, but I stopped him. "Wait, Rylan. Bella, why don't you go talk to Sabrina. I'll chat with Rylan a moment."

Bella nodded and went after Sabrina. I think she thought I was going to give Rylan some insight into Sabrina's mind, but I had another agenda.

"Rylan," I started.

"I know," he interrupted. "I'm lucky to still be alive right now, but I think she may have a good time. Tanner's a nice guy. She has said so herself. I know Tanya's a pain for her, but I don't think she'll be that bad. She can act normally probably, right? You've dated her, Edward. She can act normally right?"

"Huh?" I really wasn't paying close attention to what he was saying, but Rylan was looking at me expectantly so I absentmindedly said, "Sure."

Rylan smiled and nodded seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"Listen, Rylan. Here's the real reason I wanted to talk to you. I thought it would be a really great idea if we, you and I, could get Sabrina to take piano lessons from me because I'd like to surprise Bella with an original song at our wedding. See, I could start playing it for her as a wedding gift surprise and then Sabrina could continue playing it for Bella and me while we danced to it. But I need to convince her to learn more piano, and I don't think I can do it without your help. See, we'll need to get a piano at your place too so I can teach her and she can practice over there. What do you think?"

This whole time Rylan's eyebrows were knitted together possibly in fear or confusion. Possibly both. Confusion as to why I had broached a completely different topic than what he expected and fear of Sabrina in general. It took him a little bit of time to process my request.

"So, am I to understand that you want to me to help you get Sabrina to learn more piano, despite her traumatic past with piano lessons and despite the fact that she has pretty much banished me to the couch for the night, so you and she can surprise Bella with an original song at your wedding reception? Do I have this correct?"

I nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

He thought a moment. "Okay. I think I can do that."

"Great! Thanks so much, Rylan. I'll get another piano delivered right away." I was really excited to execute this plan.

"Wait, you make the arrangements. I'll buy the piano for her. I think I'll have to get her something. But don't you have any advice for me about what just went down in here with the Tanner-Tanya situation tomorrow night?"

"Oh, right. Um, Sabrina really likes Sunset roses," I offered.

"Thanks. That's good to know," he said just as Bella cam back in.

She was smiling. "Don't worry, Rylan. She's fine. Sabrina just has a flair for the dramatic. She really doesn't mind the dinner date with Tanya because she knows you'll owe her big time."

Rylan sighed and smiled in obvious relief. I think he already knew that he'd owe Sabrina for this.

"Oh, she mentioned something about the _stupid protocol_ and that a break in it would be a punishment for her too? I didn't understand what she meant."

All of a sudden, Rylan's smile grew even bigger for some reason. He thanked me and Bella then excused himself to go home. I didn't know a guy could be that happy about being banished to the sofa, but whatever.

I pulled Bella down into my lap. She leaned against me and I kissed the smooth skin on her temple. "Is she really okay with the double date thing?"

Bella laughed. "Yeah, after she thought about it, she decided it could potentially be amusing. I think she might toy with Tanya's mind a little. I'm really not sure what Sabrina's up to, but I'm sure we'll find out and it'll be pretty funny."

I agreed, "That's for sure."

"So what did you tell Rylan?"

I smiled, "I told him what Sabrina's favorite flowers are and I think he's going to get Sabrina a gift too. Poor guy. He feels bad for subjecting Sabrina to this unusual torture. I told him that Tanya may even behave like a normal person tomorrow night so things might be okay."

"Hmm. Maybe. I'd be more worried about Sabrina's behavior though. So what's he going to get for Sabrina? Besides the roses?"

I smiled again. This is going to work out so perfectly! "A piano like ours."

"You mean a piano like _yours_? I stake no claim on that instrument, mister. But why a piano?"

"I think Sabrina's got potential. I could teach her piano. She's already mostly there. She just needs a little nudge," I explained.

"You think you can do better than Mrs. Crabbe, Edward?" Bella laughed.

"If she starts going missing before piano lessons again, I'll know when to say when," I assured her. "But first, we need to convince her to actually take lessons."

"Good luck with that," Bella laughed again.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N Still, I own nothing that Stephenie Meyer owns. So here's chapter 27. Special thanks to Skimmboardergurl for some constructive criticism. You got my wheels turning, and I appreciate it. I just hope you like it. I know some of you were looking forward to some Tanya shenanigans, but I went in a different direction. Review and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter 27 Sabrina PoV**

When I realized Rylan wasn't kidding about the dinner with Tanya and Tanner I wasn't pleased. Not at all. But after thinking about it, I told Bella that it could potentially be entertaining so I wasn't as angry as I was originally. I even thought about not breaking protocol that night since it would be a punishment for me as well as for Rylan. And why should I be punished? So when Rylan came home he found me perched on the bed, stripped down to my skivvies, waiting for him to proceed with the protocol.

The smile that formed on his gorgeous face was priceless. He looked like he had just won the lottery. "Look at you," he had commented. I smiled and winked at him in response. That was all the encouragement he needed to ravish me. Afterwards, as he held me close, he murmured into my hair, "I thought I was going to be relegated to the couch tonight, but thank you. This was a nice surprise."

I turned in his arms to face him, meeting his smile with my own. "Well, I didn't think I did anything that required punishment." I kissed him briefly before continuing. "Also, I've noticed that you play much better if we, uh, follow the protocol. We don't want your stats to drop do we?"

Rylan shook his head and laughed before kissing me lightly. "Thanks for taking one for the team then."

I shrugged and smirked at him. "We all have to make sacrifices sometimes. And I'm nothing if not a team player."

The day started out normally. The mornings of home games the team meets for breakfast at seven and then goes straight to the locker room afterwards to get dressed and go over strategies. I never get to see Rylan until after the games were over since the team meets again afterwards. Usually at least one of my friends would go to the games with me. Today it was Jasper and Emmett.

We were tailgating with some of their friends when I saw something odd. I was staring in the general direction of the stadium but at two people in particular who were heading towards the stadium already. The game wasn't going to start for another hour. I must have had a confused look on my face because Jasper asked what I was looking at.

"That was weird. I thought I saw Dr. Jamison with Gwen. Rylan didn't mention his mom was coming to the game today, and I don't know why Gwen would be with her." I shrugged. "Maybe I'm just seeing things." I decided to forget about it for now and just hung out with Jasper and Emmett.

"How's the diet, Emmett?" I laughed as he finished his second beer. To be fair it was light beer.

He shook his head, "I have no willpower, Snappy. None. I'm getting another hotdog do you want another?"

I laughed again. "Sure, thanks." The very thought of Emmett trying to diet is ludicrous.

Emmett brought back the food and we sat there for a while longer watching Jasper play the beanbag tossing game against one of his friends. When there were only twenty minutes before kickoff we headed into the stadium. We sat at one end of the field in the student section. The energy in the student section is always high. I loved it. The enthusiasm was contagious.

It was a really good game. Rylan made a touchdown at our end in the first half. He was so cute. He always sets the football down once he crosses into the end zone then he looks up at the stands. He says he's looking for me up there. Then he signs an _S_ with his hand and pounds it to his heart. No one knows that's his sign for me though. It's our little secret. Usually I couldn't even see it because his teammates were all over him.

Rylan made one more touchdown in the second half. He had the ball a few more times but didn't score. He took a couple of really bad hits. Well, they looked bad to me. I clutched either Jasper's arm or Emmett's, whoever was closer to me at the time, and looked away from the field until they told me that Rylan got up and that he was okay. I'm never able to take a breath until I get the okay. That's always the worst part of watching Rylan play football. There's always a little part of me that is scared he won't get back up after a hit.

After the win, most of the student body attending the game went out to celebrate the victory, but Emmett and Jasper dropped me off at home where I was accosted by Alice as soon as I got out of the car.

"Sabrina! Let's go!"

"Where are we going?" I asked her somewhat confused. Bella had come out to join us in the yard. She was highly amused and giggling.

"We have to get you ready for the dinner date tonight, of course. We have only five hours."

"Do I need that much help that five hours time isn't enough?" I asked sounding a little insulted.

"No, you're beautiful, but we need to go shopping."

Just then I got a text from Rylan. _**My mom wants to have brunch with us tomorrow at her house. I said yes. OK?**_

I texted back my consent and then stood there thinking for a second. Maybe it was her I saw at the game. But why was she with Gwen? Weird.

"Hello? Sabrina? Ready?" Alice asked impatiently.

"Yeah. I guess you can find me something to wear to brunch with Dr. Jamison tomorrow as well, Alice. Go nuts. Are you coming too, Bella?"

"Yeah," she said brightly. She never sounds this happy to go shopping. I raised my eyebrow in surprise. "At least we're not shopping for me for a change." I nodded in understanding.

"Where's Rosalie," I asked.

"Oh she's at her mom's house with Esme picking out nursery items from a bunch of catalogs. She sends her love," Alice informed me.

I didn't even go inside the condo. We three got in the Porsche and were at the department store within minutes. Alice drives like her brothers. The nice thing about having a shopaholic friend like Alice is that I let her hold all of my gift cards from birthdays and Christmas so then she uses them if she sees something that I'll like since she can be shopping at any given moment in the day. She would normally use her own money, but I hate when she does that. That's where Bella and I agree. I know it's not a big deal for Alice to drop a bunch of money on us, but it just feels wrong.

As we were browsing in the racks I told them about the game and how I thought I saw Dr. Jamison with Gwen before the game. They both agreed that it was strange for Rylan's mom to be hanging out with his ex-girlfriend. I would definitely ask Rylan about this later.

Alice found a black turtleneck sweater dress for me to wear to dinner and then a navy blue shirtdress for brunch. She allowed me to wear shoes I already have in my closet for both occasions, which I thought was generous of her. Alice picked up a couple things for herself, and even Bella decided she could use some new jeans. We were back to the condos with three hours to spare for the dinner date.

When we arrived, there was delivery truck in the driveway. Rylan was also home as he was supervising the delivery of what looked to be a piano. I was thoroughly confused. Alice and Bella giggled as I was staring out the car window perplexed. They seemed to know what was going on.

The delivery guys left and there was another guy there to tune the piano. Bella and Alice went to Bella's place. I told them to come back over in an hour and a half to help me get ready.

"What's this?" I asked Rylan.

"A piano."

"I can see that, but why is it here?"

He smiled at me. "This is a present for you. I thought you'd like to take it up again or at the very least serenade me."

"With _Chopsticks_?" I asked wrinkling my nose. This was just bizarre.

"Or with whatever," he replied cryptically.

"Well, that's all I know how to play aside from _Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_. Maybe Edward can serenade you though."

Rylan carried my bag and took my hand leading me into the house where there was a dozen Sunset roses waiting for me in a beautiful crystal vase sitting on the counter top. I gave Rylan a sideways look. He was smiling again.

"My apologies and thanks for the sacrifice you are making tonight, Miss," He explained as he brought my hand to his lips. I rolled my eyes.

"This really wasn't necessary, Ry. I was just joking when I said you'd owe me, but I like your style. How'd you know about the roses?" I asked as I leaned in to smell them. "They're gorgeous. Thank you." I gave him a peck on the lips.

"Edward told me you liked them. And you're welcome. So what did you get from the store?" He followed me into the bedroom. I wanted to hang the dresses up before they got too wrinkled. Alice would have my hide.

"Oh just a couple of dresses. One for tonight and one for brunch tomorrow with your mom." He nodded his approval as I showed him the dresses and hung them on the hook on the closet door.

I turned around to see Rylan sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms out inviting me into his embrace. I stood in front of him so he could wrap his arms around my waist as I rested my arms in his shoulders. I looked into his hazel eyes and grinned. "Nice game, by the way. Did you see me in the stands on your first touchdown?" I knew he couldn't.

He smiled, "Sure. You were the pretty one next to the goofballs right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yep, that was me. Thanks for this anyway," I said as I signed an _S_ and placed it on my heart. "I love when you do that." I kissed the tip of his perfect nose. "I have one for you too," I said as signed an _R_ and held it to my lips before bringing the _R _away from my mouth.

"I love _that_," he murmured against my lips before kissing chastely. It quickly turned passionate, though, as he fell backwards onto the bed bringing me down with him. I was relishing in the warmth of his arms and the ferocity of his lips against mine when I heard notes being played on the piano in the living room.

I pulled away. "I think your piano is all done getting tuned," I said.

"It's _your_ piano, and I think you're right. I'll go check on him," Rylan said as he was trailing kisses down my neck not making a move to let me go yet.

I laughed. "Go and stop distracting me, Rylan. I need to shower before Alice and Bella come over." He finally stopped but pouted his lips. I gave his pout one last kiss before getting up. He reluctantly let me go and watched me disappear into the bathroom.

Alice and Bella were over when I got out of the shower. I remained in my robe as I let Alice have her way with styling my hair and makeup.

"You're hair is really getting long, Sabrina. Are you growing it out?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to donate it once it gets long enough. I hope I can make it. They need like eight to ten inches in a ponytail. I may go crazy and chop it off before it gets too long though like I did last time remember?"

A couple years ago I tried to grow my hair out to donate to Locks of Love, but I couldn't do it. I quit and got it cut into a pixie, which I then grew out and got cut into my current wedge style.

"What's the over-under on this?" Bella asked smirking at me.

"Hey, have some faith, Bells. I think I can do it this time. You just watch." I reassured her. She just gave me a _Sure sure_ look. "Just for that, Bella, I will bet you…" I was trying to think of something both Bella and I would or wouldn't like to do, "…three outfits and stylings by Alice. If I succeed in growing my hair out, you are the styling victim, and if I cut my hair before I can donate it, I'll be the victim."

"Hey, you guys make it sound like torture!" Alice protested to the wager. Bella and I laughed and hooked pinkies.

"Deal!" we said simultaneously.

Just then Rylan knocked on the bathroom door. "I hate to break up the party, girls, but we should be leaving soon, Sabrina."

"Okay!" we three yelled at the door. We looked at each other and laughed. We were such girls.

We walked out to the living room. Alice and Bella made a beeline for the door. "Good luck," Bella said.

"And we want a full report tomorrow. Let's get coffee after you get back from brunch?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'll text you guys when I get back. Will Rose be back in town?"

"No, not until tomorrow night," Alice replied. "Bye!" she said as she and Bella left.

"Well, am I presentable?" I asked Rylan.

"Mmm. You look great," he commented as he was touching the material of my sweater dress. I think he liked the feel of it. "Ready to go?"

I shrugged. "Let's do this."

We got in Rylan's black Audi. It was about a fifteen-minute drive to Tanner's.

"How's your head?" I asked. "You got your block knocked off a couple of times in the game."

He merely chuckled. "I'm fine. Thank goodness for helmets, right?" It's amazing how easily he could shrug off hits. I'll never understand.

"You do realize that I stop breathing every time you get hit and can't take a breath again until you get up," I explained to him.

"You worry too much about me," he gave my hand a squeeze. "Just like my mom." He triggered my memory.

"Hey, I thought I saw your mom with Gwen at the stadium today while Emmett and Jasper and I were tailgating. It was about an hour before kickoff." I was waiting for him to tell me I was wrong, but he didn't.

"Yeah, she and Gwen stopped by before the game to say hello and wish me luck," he answered with nonchalance.

"Really? Why? I mean why is your mom hanging out with Gwen?"

"Oh, they hang out quite a bit actually. My mom and Gwen's mom are really good friends. They're the ones that got us together." _Really_, I thought.

I was staring at Rylan. A million questions were going through my mind. I was trying to wrap my head around what he just told me.

"So you don't think it's weird that your mom hangs out with your ex?"

"No, not really. Do you?" Like he even had to ask.

"Yes. I think it's _very_ weird actually." I wanted to add that I didn't like it, but really it was none of my business whom Nora socialized with. I just wish it weren't Gwen. "Um, especially since Gwen was the one who broke up with you? Wasn't your mom pissed at her? How come you've never told me before?"

He shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. My mom's always liked Gwen despite the breakup. They just shop and have lunch and stuff. Like what you and your friends do."

All I could respond with was, "Hmm." My friends and I dish about some private matters when we hang out. No, I didn't like this Nora-Gwen thing at all. I was going to ask something else but Rylan announced our arrival. I didn't even notice that he parked the car.

We got out of the car and approached a condo. What was it with these college boys and condos? It looked really nice from the outside. It looked like ours but bigger.

Rylan turned to me, "Ready?" I shrugged. "Be nice."

I feigned shock, "I'm the nicest person on the planet…" He only raised his eyebrow at me. "I have the potential to be the nicest person on the planet…" He was still looking at me dubiously. "Okay, I'll be nice."

Rylan knocked on the door and Tanya answered. _Oh, boy, here we go._ She had her big sweet as pie smile plastered to her face. "Rylan! Sabrina! Come in!" I hoped that I wouldn't need to match her enthusiasm level. I was exhausted just listening to her speak.

Well the dinner date with Tanya and Tanner was fine. That may have been the most normal I've ever seen Tanya. I think Tanner and she are pretty good together. I know! Shocker! Now, that's not to say that Tanya didn't push my buttons, because she did. But I can't be sure if she does it on purpose or if she's just dense. The good news is I didn't get taken out of Tanner's house in handcuffs or end up on the local news for assault. That's quite an accomplishment really.

Like the day Bella and I ran into her at the coffee shop, she was hyper again. Had she always been this hyper? I guess I never paid attention before. She was nice enough, I guess. Maybe I can put Tanya's personality into perspective now after having brunch with Dr. Jamison the next day. In fact, I'd gladly have dinner with Tanya on a daily basis as long as I didn't have to face Nora Jamison again. Ever!

"_What_?" Bella and Alice asked in surprise and utter shock after I told them I'd rather be BFFs with Tanya than spend another moment with Rylan's mom. They were hoping for some funny story about Tanya, but I was too upset about what happened at brunch to go into any detail about the dinner date.

"She doesn't like me," I said glumly.

"I thought you guy got along great. You said she was a great person."

"She took some of your artwork."

"I know," was all I could say to their comments. I really thought she liked me, but apparently it was all an act. "Well, first of all she's all chummy with Gwen and Gwen's mom, and she obviously wants Rylan to get back together with Gwen."

"How do you know that?" Alice asked.

So I went into detail about how when Rylan and I got to her house, low and behold, Gwen and her mom were there. I was not excited about that to say the least. Rylan apologized. He didn't know they'd be there either. So, I was introduced to everyone there, and got eyed up and down. That's a nice welcome, isn't it? So, I tried to be really polite and nice to everyone though I was feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was like I walked into an ambush. Rylan's mom asked me about classes and if I thought I'd stick with my new majors. She was explaining stuff about me to Gwen and her mom but there was an undercurrent of condescension and malice that I definitely didn't appreciate. She kept talking about me like I wasn't there and she kept bringing up money for some reason.

"So, Rylan's Sabrina has decided to just switch majors entirely in her final year. Well, it's supposed to be her final year. Money must not be an issue for her I guess," Nora rolled her eyes as she was speaking to Gwen and her mom, Marge. They all giggled and then looked at me to defend myself.

"Well, I'm really lucky in that my new majors were my minors before so most of the classes have been taken and I only need a few more credits to complete both premed and art. I just talked with my advisor. I'm maxing out my course loads this semester and next so I actually am on course to graduate on time. And my parents have been really supportive as you know, Dr. Jamison."

She just talked to my mom at the housewarming about this very subject. It was so weird because I had never seen this side of her before. I was simply dumbstruck.

"Ah, yes. And how will your parents manage medical school for you, that is if you get into one? I mean, they're only schoolteachers and you have a young sister Layla's age, no? I guess that's why they allowed you to move in with Rylan after only knowing him a few weeks. Less financial strain on them, yes?"

Bella and Alice both gasped as I quoted Nora. "What the hell is she playing at?" Alice asked. "Rylan just sat there as she attacked you and your parents?" Alice was angry, almost as angry as I was, while Bella was simply shaking her head in disbelief.

"Rylan was playing with Layla in her room while his mom all but called me a gold digger. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It's one thing to slam me, but don't slam my parents." I told Bella and Alice. I went on to describe the rest of the morning.

I didn't want to create a scene and give this woman even more ammunition against me. All I said was, "My parents are hard workers who earn an honest living. They've invested what they have wisely and I've discussed medical school with them, as you know. It's all planned for, and I'm even applying for some scholarships and grants."

"But that's _if_ you get in to a medical school. What if you don't? What then? Do you plan on living off of my son's money?"

I had to take a deep breath to calm myself before I answered. I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. All this time, by the way, Gwen and Marge were exceedingly amused.

"I like to think positively, and I don't foresee a problem getting into medical school. However, if I need to reapply to med school, I plan on working to support myself until I gain entry."

"So you say," was her only reply with a tight smile.

I was mentally and emotionally spent at this point. I had excused myself to go to the bathroom where I had to do some deep breathing to keep from totally going postal on those bitches. After I calmed myself down a bit, I left the bathroom and took an alternate route back to the dining room. Nora's house is really big so it's easy to get lost in it, which is what happened to me. I went to find Rylan in Layla's room. I asked him if we could go soon since I wasn't feeling very well. He must have seen the discontent on my face because he answered in the affirmative. He just wanted to finish the game of Chutes and Ladders with his sister.

I took my time getting back to the dining room. Like I said, I came back a different way than I went so I was on the opposite side of the house within earshot of the dining room. I heard them talking so I decided to eavesdrop. I knew I wasn't going to like what I was going to hear, but I did it anyway, especially since they had no clue I could hear them.

"Nora, she's got an answer for everything, and she has yet to lose her cool," Marge was laughing.

"It's only a matter of time ladies. She's amusing, yes, but flighty. Amusing and flighty don't make a good wife. You'll see. She won't last much longer with my son. This is just a fling. He won't actually settle down with her. Not if I have any say in it. Keep close, Gwennie, your time will come again."

"Thanks, Nora. I honestly don't know what Rylan sees in her. Hopefully this won't take much longer. I like the money route you took. It seems to make her a little uncomfortable," Gwen giggled.

"Yes, I think she's all talk with supporting herself. I mean what is she going to do sell her art?" Nora laughed. "I have to show you girls her work. Layla could do better. I'll show it to you before I use it for the kitty litter liner. You'll get a good laugh out of it!"

"Oh, Nora! You're so bad!" Marge and Gwen were laughing along.

I was officially in hell. My face grew hot. I needed to get out of there, fast. I quickly turned around and almost ran right into Rylan who was carrying Layla.

"Hey," he smiled at me. "You don't look so great. Are you okay?" He looked concerned. I nodded. I couldn't speak yet. "Are you ready to go?" I nodded again.

Rylan set Layla down and took my hand. Somehow I managed to say goodbye to everyone, but Rylan did most of the talking. His kissed Layla and his mom and hugged Gwen and Marge. The ladies were all eyeing me again, probably able to sense my discomfort in their presence. I clenched my jaw as hard as I could. I would not allow them to see me upset. They walked us out so I kept it together as we got into the car and until Rylan drove off.

I leaned my face against the window in attempt to cool it off. I was still livid, and like Bella, my anger is hardwired to my tear ducts. Though I hadn't shed one yet, they were threatening to brim over.

Rylan only thought that I was physically sick. He held my hand squeezing it intermittently to make sure I was all right.

"Maybe you should rest instead of meeting with Bella and Alice," he suggested.

I shook my head, "No, I want to see them. I promised."

"But you really don't have much to report about dinner last night," he chuckled.

I shrugged, "I know, but you know girls. We always find something to talk about."

"Yeah. Hey, I'm sorry you had to eat alone with those ladies. You're a trooper, babe." He didn't know the half of it.

"Ry, if your mom didn't approve of me, would you still be with me?" I asked unable to hide the sadness in my voice.

He gave me a weird look. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Will you answer the question for me please?" I bit my lip as a tear finally fell.

"Sabrina, what's the matter?" We had just arrived home. When we went inside I told him everything that happened up to when I almost ran into him in the hallway.

"You must have misunderstood her," he said.

I shook my head, "Don't tell me that I misunderstood her, Rylan. You weren't there. I know what I heard. What I don't know is what I did to your mother to make her treat me like crap and slam my parents like she did. I thought she liked me up until today."

Rylan shook his head. "My mom wouldn't say those things, Sabrina. I mean, you've even admitted yourself you have an overactive imagination. She was probably joking around."

"Rylan, I'm the queen of joking around. I speak fluent sarcasm remember?. _She_ was intentionally malicious." We just stared at each other for an immeasurable moment. I finally sighed. "I don't want to fight about this. I just wanted to tell you what happened and why I'm upset. I'm going to go change and then go out for coffee with Alice and Bella."

I started to walk away when Rylan grabbed me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. He searched my eyes and then pressed his lips to mine. "I'm sorry for whatever happened today. I'll try to figure out what's going on, okay?"

I nodded. "Are you going back over there?" I asked.

"Yeah, I want to see her face to face."

I nodded. "Oh, bring back my painting will you? And if you can't find it, check the kitty litter," I said as I went to change and text the girls.

"So what's Rylan doing now? Is he at his mom's?" Bella asked. We were walking back to the condos.

I shrugged and checked the time on my phone. "It's been a couple of hours. He may be back now." And he was. Rylan's Audi was in the driveway as we approached the house. "I'll talk to you two later. Thanks for letting me bend your ears."

"Anytime, Sabrina. You need anything you call, got it?" Alice said. I nodded my thanks.

"That goes for me too. You know that," Bella added. They patted my back as they headed into Bella's place.

I walked in the house. I went straight to my roses to smell them. "Hey," I said to Rylan who was sitting on the sofa waiting for me. "What's the prognosis?"

He sighed running his hand through his hair, "Negative. You were right. My mom doesn't like you."

**A/N The next chapter may be in RyPoV and/or Edward's. Not sure yet...I'm up for any suggestions.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N I own Twilight only in my dreams. Apparently the FF alerts aren't going out. Sorry about that, but thanks to you loyal readers for checking in for an update anyway. I couldn't stay away long. This chapter was dying to get out so here it is. I'm switching around PoVs this chapter. My brain fell off during the writing so forgive any typos etc. I hope I wrote with enough emotion for you. I'm not so good with the dramatics I don't think. I'm hoping you get pissed, become sad, maybe cry a little and maybe smile a little by the time you get to the end of the chapter. But I'm not trying to boss you around. Let me know. Personally, I bawled in parts of this one. I let my sis read it over and she bawled as well. Maybe we're just too close to the characters though. Enjoy...**

**Chapter 28 Rylan PoV**

Crap! I couldn't believe my mom didn't like Sabrina. This was so strange. I thought they got along great. Sabrina thought so too. When Sabrina recounted to me what had gone down at my house I really didn't want to believe her. I mean, she was telling me that essentially, my mom was a bitch to her. I didn't want to believe that, but the hurt expression on Sabrina's face made me at least think twice about shrugging off the accusations. I didn't think Sabrina would slander my mom.

I then thought about Sabrina's question to me in the car after we'd left my mom's house. If my mom didn't approve of Sabrina, would I still be with her? My gut response to that question was a fast yes. I mean, of course I'd still be with her. My mom would just have to deal, right?

So I went back over to my mom's. Thank goodness Gwen and Marge had left. Mom was getting ready to take Layla over to my aunt's house before going in to the hospital.

"Rylan! Back already? This is a surprise. I was actually going to call you later, so this works out nicely." Hmm, maybe she was going to talk to me about what Sabrina may have heard earlier. Hopefully she'd clear the air and prove that Sabrina had merely misunderstood what she'd heard.

"Hey, Mom. I wanted to talk to you about something." I tried to sound casual. I didn't want to attack her. I was here to gather information, see what, if anything, was going on.

"I'm all ears." We sat down in the living room. Layla was in her room picking out things to take to our aunt's house.

"I was just wondering what you think of Sabrina. You know, if you think she's right for me or not." I intentionally tried to sound like I may have been having second thoughts about living with Sabrina.

Mom smiled, "Darling, are you rethinking the whole live-in situation?" I shrugged. "She's difficult to live with isn't she?" She shook her head. "Rylan, I think she's using you. Just look at her. I've seen her kind before."

I tried not to flinch at my mother's words. "What do you mean _her kind_?"

"She comes from nothing, and now she's got you as a meal ticket. Don't fall for her act, Rylan. Sure she's attractive and amusing, but can you really see yourself with her in the long run? She's no Gwennie, honey. You should cut this Sabrina loose and go back to Gwen. She wants you back you know."

All I could do was stare at my mother. Did she really think Sabrina was using me or was she making this BS up just to try to get Gwen and me back together?

"Rylan, I know you're just out to have a good time with Sabrina. I mean, that's obviously the type of girl she is since she moved in with you so quickly. And her parents allowing her to do that…well, that certainly speaks to her upbringing doesn't it?"

Wow. My mom was actually insulting George and Chera now too? When had my mother become so malicious?

"Oh, look at the time. Layla and I have to get going. Lock up won't you?" I nodded. She kissed the top of my head. "Don't give it another thought, Rylan. You know what you have to do. I know you've grown somewhat attached to her, but really, she's not the type to settle down with is she?"

"Mom, did you ever like Sabrina?" I was genuinely curious.

She thought a moment. "I did when she was just teaching the dance class, but once she started taking your attention away from us I grew suspicious. She's so unpredictable. I don't want her stealing my only boy away to who know's where. Now Gwen, she'll keep you close to us won't she?"

"Mom, I don't love Gwen anymore. I love Sabrina now."

"Rylan, you loved Gwen once. I know you can love her again. You haven't known Sabrina very long. You'll get over her. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but you can't stay with Sabrina. She doesn't have her head on straight. She's flighty and capricious. Just look at how she's changed her mind about her studies. She could change her mind about you just as easily you know. Gwennie, on the other hand, you know what to expect from her. Make a list. Compare the two. Gwennie will have more pros than cons, guaranteed."

And with that she got up to get Layla. On their way out my mom added something else to try to persuade me to break up with Sabrina. "Rylan, I see your tortured expression. Do you believe I'm giving you a choice here? Let me make myself clear. It's her or the family. Simple as that."

"You're making me choose between the woman I love and my family? Is this some sort of sick soap opera? Mother, Sabrina would never make me choose." I was really getting agitated now.

"That's because she knows which you'd choose. And with Layla's health worsening, I would think you'd want to spend as much time with your sister as possible."

I couldn't believe she'd use my sister's heart condition as a bargaining chip. My head started to throb.

"So why can't I have both? I can still be with Sabrina and spend time with Layla. I don't see the problem here. If you don't like Sabrina, just stay away from her. I think you've alienated her enough today to keep her away from you."

She heaved a big sigh. "Rylan, just remember you've driven me to this. As long as you are with that…girl, you will not be welcome in this house. Have I made my position on this matter clear?" She kept her voice even so as not to upset Layla.

I just sat there for a while after they had left mulling over everything she said. My mom pretty much confirmed everything Sabrina said earlier. And I could not believe she gave me an ultimatum. Why, when I'd finally found happiness again must it be stripped from me? How could she make me choose like this? Of course I would have to choose Layla. Surely Sabrina would understand. God, I felt wretched. I vowed I'd never hurt her. I've told her I love her at least ten times a day, and now I have to…I couldn't even finish the thought.

I thought of the painting instead. I went in my mother's office. It wasn't there. I looked all over the house on all the walls. Sabrina's painting was nowhere to be found. Then I thought about where Sabrina told me to check. I really didn't want to even entertain the idea that my mom would use it to line the kitty litter box, but I went to check anyway. I used the scooper to poke around the box, and sure enough Sabrina's painting was in there. I shook my head in disbelief. This was completely disrespectful. I fished it out, but I wouldn't tell Sabrina where I found it. If I could save her just a little bit of hurt I would.

I went back to the condo thinking hard about how I could make this all work. Maybe we could still carry on our relationship secret from my mom…Would Sabrina go for that? Probably not, but it was an option. She'd have to move out though. Maybe she could live with Edward and Bella and I could still see her everyday…None of these scenarios ended fairly for Sabrina. I was taking something huge for granted: If, after I told her all of this, would she still even want to be with me? I assumed yes, but now the possibility of Sabrina leaving _me_ was very real. It would tear me apart. Already I couldn't breathe properly just thinking about Sabrina not being with me.

Just then the door opened. Sabrina came in and went straight to smell the roses.

"Hey, what's the prognosis?" she asked lightly.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. Could she sense my nervousness? I shook my head, "Negative. You were right. My mom doesn't like you."

She came over to sit with me on the sofa. "I hate being right sometimes," she mused.

"I hate when you're right too sometimes," I replied.

Sabrina sighed, bracing herself I assume. "So, what happened? Just give it to me straight."

I told her pretty much everything my mom said leaving out the insults and finally about the ultimatum. The entire time Sabrina was staring at the floor stone faced, listening to me, but her head snapped up when I told her I had to choose between her and my family.

"She's making you choose?" she asked in disbelief. "That's truly…sick."

"Sabrina." I reached for her arm, but she pulled it away from me shaking her head. I could see the tears in her eyes now. She was trying to stay strong, biting her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry," I choked out.

We sat there silently, save for a few sniffles from Sabrina. Her phone rang, breaking the tension somewhat. It was her mom. Sabrina answered her phone brightly turning away from me, "Hey mom…I'm okay, what's going on?"

Even now, she was pretending nothing's wrong so she wouldn't worry her mother. But then she sighed, closing her eyes and sinking into the sofa massaging her brow with the heel of her free hand. I thought she was going to break down and tell her mom everything right then and there in front of me, but her exasperation was about another matter entirely.

"When's the funeral?"

Oh, god. I just told the woman I loved that we couldn't be together any more and then she gets a phone call about her grandmother passing. I felt like the biggest asshole ever.

"Yes, I'll fly out after class on Wednesday and I can fly back Thursday night. I'll only miss neuro and physics lecture, but Edward can get me up to speed on neuro when I get back and I have another friend to get notes from in physics…Okay. Love you too. Bye." She hung up. She still had the heel of her one hand covering her face staring at the floor and at nothing at all.

I went to hold her and comfort her, but she wouldn't let me. Her expression was pained as she pushed her way out of my arms to get up from the sofa. She went into the spare bedroom that she never used, the pretense room to make George feel better about her living with me. She closed the door behind her and did not emerge until the next morning.

I peeked in a couple times, but I felt so helpless. I wanted so much to hold her and stroke her hair and kiss away her tears, but I was the reason for much of her pain. It nearly killed me to see Sabrina like that. As much as she said she worried about me and couldn't breathe when I got hit playing football, it could not even come close to the helplessness I felt seeing her curled up in a ball crying into a pillow when it should have been my chest she was crying into instead.

I sat outside the door with my head in my hands waiting for the crying to subside but each time it died down, she would start up again with more intensity. She finally fell asleep around two in the morning. I went in to check on her. She was lying there, finally peaceful. I was able to feel her hair and her face. I selfishly got in bed with her. All I wanted was to be there next to her, holding her to me. I knew that this could potentially be the very last time I could do it so I jumped at the opportunity.

**Sabrina PoV**

I curled up in a ball on the bed that I never used, crying into a pillow. I'd never cried this hard in my life. I was crying softly at first, but I was soon all out sobbing. I grieved for my grandmother, though she was in a better place now, finally reunited with my grandfather. I cried for my dad who'd just lost his mother. I cried for Maisy, who was probably confused as to what was going on. She had just seen our grandmother over vacation. I cried for Rylan, who I'd miss tremendously. I cried for the choice he had to make. And lastly, selfishly, I cried for myself. I grieved for the fleeting happiness that we'd found and the life we could have had together. And each time my crying would fade, it would start up again full force with a pang of sadness for each new reason I had to cry about.

Somehow, after hours of sobbing, I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning in a peculiar room and bed but in a comforting position. Rylan was holding me. I felt bad for pushing him away last night, but I thought it would be that much harder when I left if I didn't start to distance myself from him. I hoped against all hope that last night was a nightmare, but why would I, we, be in the spare bedroom if any of that stuff with his mom and my mom's phone call didn't happen? I closed my eyes again soaking in Rylan's warmth. I stirred a little bit and his arms automatically, reflexively tightened around me. How would I ever be able to sleep again without this man next to me?

I guess Idl have to find a way wouldn't I?

I somehow broke out of his strong arms, waking him up as I did so.

"Sorry to wake you," I said with a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to come in here like I did. I just…I just wanted to make sure you were all right…well as all right as you can be I guess." He added the last part after I smirked. The thought of me ever being all right again seemed unimaginable.

"I have to get ready for class. Is it all right if I wait until the end of the week to look for a new place? I'll get Jasper on it. He's got a knack for finding apartments." My voice was even. Although I didn't think I had any more tears left in me to shed, I didn't want to risk getting too emotional again.

"Sabrina, take as long as you need to. You can stay here for as long as it takes. Please know that."

I laughed without humor. "Thanks, Ry, but we both know that'll make it so much harder when I leave."

His eyes got misty. "Why does this hurt so bad?" he choked out.

I bit my lip, "It hurts because it should," I replied simply. He merely nodded.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing left to say. Ultimatums were given. Decisions were made. Promises and hearts were broken. Hopes and dreams had gone unfulfilled.

I went through the motions of going to classes. I stayed over at Edward's and Bella's for the rest of the week. My friends were walking on eggshells around me, which I hated, but I felt too numb to even tell them to cut it out. The girls dropped me off at the airport the afternoon of Rosalie's check up. They didn't bring up Rylan or his mom. They just sent their love to me and my family. At least was easy to look sad and mournful at the funeral. I did feel guilty about mourning more over a relationship than a loved one though.

Edward and Bella picked me up from the airport when I got back. They offered their home to me for as long as I needed, as did Rose and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper. I thanked all of them for their generosity, but it was high time I stood on my own two feet.

Jasper knew of a studio apartment close to campus that was affordable and relatively decent. It was already empty so they all helped me move on that Saturday after the funeral. Rylan had an away game so I wouldn't have to face him as I left. It was hard enough taking my things out of there. Luckily, I didn't have too much stuff. My parents and Edward's parents had donated some furniture to me, which was really nice. I didn't need much. A sofa, a chair, a coffee table. Alice and Jasper gave me a small dining table and four chairs. They were naked wood. Raw material for me to work with. I would make them my own.

We were lounging on my scant furniture once we had moved everything in.

"Thanks for helping out guys. This place has potential doesn't it?" I was trying to keep it light. I would wait for them all to leave before I completely broke down. "Look, Emmett, I think I have room for an air-hockey table. What do you think?"

"Aww, snap, Snappy. I'll be over here all the time then!"

"Oh, nevermind then, Em," I joked. I had to laugh at his expression. I actually really liked it when he called me Snappy. They all looked at me. "What? Has it been that long since you've heard me laugh that it sounds so foreign? Come on, guys, cheer up. This is a new beginning for me."

"We just want you happy again, Sabrina," Bella said.

"Well, let's not get carried away. I think I can be happy again one day though. I haven't lost all hope. I miss him…and this whole situation sucks big time but whatever. It is what it is, right?"

Emmett was next to me on the sofa. "I really liked Rylan too," he said ruefully, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"I know, Emmett," I stroked his curly hair. "There'll be other football players," I teased. I didn't know where I found it in myself to joke, but I did. I had to show my friends that I'd be okay and they needn't worry about me.

"But not another Rylan," Emmett pouted.

"No, you're right, Em. Not another Rylan. We'll always have the ugly sweater party, though, won't we?"

Everyone laughed at the memory of Rylan in his hideous angry clown sweater. That seemed like ages ago.

It was getting late. Alice and Jasper had to meet some friends while Rosalie was getting really tired so she and Emmett left.

"Do you need help with anything else tonight, Sabrina?" Edward asked.

I looked around my small space. "Nope, I think I've got it covered from here. Thanks. Just wait. The next time you're over here it'll look much homier, promise."

"Call if you need anything at all," Bella offered.

"Oh, here before I forget," I reached into my pocket for the spare key and handed it to Bella. "In case I lock myself out or something. You're my emergency contact, by the way, Bells. The mission is yours should you choose to accept it."

She laughed. "Okay. I think I can handle the responsibility."

"One more thing," I stopped them before they left. I grabbed a shoebox that was sitting on my kitchen counter. "Give this to him for me please? And tell him tough game. Make sure his pretty face is intact." We lost the football game. Rylan didn't do so hot. He managed to make one touchdown though. We listened to it on the radio while we were moving me in.

Bella nodded before she hugged me. "Don't make me cry, Bella," I warned her. Damn. A tear fell. "Get out of here, Swan. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? We'll get coffee."

"Okay," she confirmed as she left.

I took a deep breath as I closed and locked the door. "Welcome home, Sabrina," I said. Already I was talking to myself. Was it too early to crack up? Had I gotten on the crazy train already? Next stop, looney bin.

I made my way over to my bed. Everything would have to wait until tomorrow to be put in its proper place. First thing's first. I took my glasses off and placed them on my nightstand next to the alarm clock. I reached into the laundry basket that held my linens. Underneath one of the sheets I grabbed the t-shirt that I smuggled from Rylan's bedroom floor, held it up to my face and inhaled his scent, letting it fill up my lungs. I curled up into a ball and let loose the tears I'd been biting back all day, all week, and cried myself to sleep.

**EPoV**

Bella was crying a little bit as we were leaving Sabrina's new place. I was rubbing her back soothingly as we left. "She's okay, Bella. We'll still see her all the time."

"But she's all alone, now, Edward. She put on a strong front, but I know she's up there crying her eyes out right now, and there's nothing any of us can do for her."

I knew she was right, but I really didn't want to think about Sabrina crying. It made me feel really bad. I couldn't believe how so much could change in so little time. Was it just a week ago that Sabrina was pissed at Rylan for making the dinner date with Tanner and Tanya? How I wished that were her only problem right now.

"All we can do is be here for her when she needs us," I said. Bella nodded. She scowled at the shoebox Sabrina gave her to give to Rylan. I wondered what was in there.

Rylan came out to see us as we pulled up to the driveway. He looked terrible, I noted. He seemed to be taking the break up badly as well.

He opened Bella's door for her.

"Thanks," Bella said as she got out. Rylan nodded to her. "This is for you." Bella handed the shoebox to Rylan. He looked at it curiously.

"Thanks," he replied softly. I came over to their side of the car.

"Hey, Ry," I greeted him. "Sabrina wanted to tell you tough game and to make sure you're okay. Sounded like you took some pretty good hits out there."

He shook his head smiling a little, "They weren't anything. How is she?"

"Hanging tough. She'll be okay. It'll just be strange without her within yelling distance though," I joked.

"Yeah," he smiled regretfully. "I wish…I wish things were different."

I nodded. "We all do, man. Goodnight." I patted his shoulder as Bella and I went inside.

**Rylan PoV**

Bella wouldn't even look at me. She must have hated me for hurting her best friend. She was completely justified in doing so. They told me Sabrina was doing okay, and I hoped it was true.

I had to smile at the fact that she wondered if I was okay after that terrible game. Man, I stunk it up on the field. I guess that's what happens when we didn't follow protocol.

I looked at the shoebox that Bella handed me. It felt kind of heavy. I went inside right after Edward and Bella did. I kept staring at the innocuous box working up the courage to open it. Finally, I lifted the lid. Underneath the newsprint was a statue about ten inches tall. I laughed. Sabrina fashioned a Heisman Trophy for me out of a bunch of scrap metal and spray painted it bronze. I took it out of the box to inspect it closer. It was rough and a bit unfinished but still a replica of the actual trophy, right down to the pose of the figure: one arm clutching the football and the other arm straight out to block. S.I.K was etched on the bottom. I noticed a piece of paper in the box. I unfolded it. It was a note from her. I took a deep breath as I read her messy scrawl:

**Hey, Beefcake. So, no big deal, but I made you your very own Heisman, just in case the idiots overlook your work. Like Grampa Lou's old school motto says: "Play like a champion today." So, play like the champ I know you are. I'll be watching. If anyone breaks that gorgeous face of yours, his ass is mine. Take care and elephant shoe.**

**Yours always,**

**S.I.K.**

**P.S. Hope you don't mind, I stole your Alcatraz t-shirt. Thanks.**

I laughed again. Always light-hearted she is. How the hell am I going to get her back?

**A/N (Sighs) So, what did you think? Emotional roller coaster or not so much? I borrowed a line from Jimmy Eat World "It hurts because it should" from the song "Carry You." That song and "Dizzy," also by Jimmy Eat World, really inspired this chapter. If you don't know the songs, chef/author recommends!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**A/N I don't own Twilight**

**So I went back and added this Sabrina pov to the orignal chapter. Originally, it was just the EPoV and Rylan's PoV. Enjoy.**

**Sabrina PoV**

I honestly didn't know how I got through the days following the break up and moving out. I cried each night until I didn't think I had any tears left. I thought it would get easier being without him. With each passing day, I'd feel the sharp pangs of loss and regret over again.

I wasn't upset that Nora didn't like me. Well, that part, while annoying and hurtful, didn't phase me as much as it did my family and friends. I mean, if she didn't like me, she didn't like me. Not everyone had to like me. No, I was more hurt over the fact that Rylan gave up so easily. Way too easily. After one discussion in one afternoon with his mother, he just…gave up.

It made me question everything about him and everything about me. I claimed to be this great judge of character, and yet the person I held in such high esteem discarded me so easily. I could only conclude that either I was, in fact, a horrible judge of character, but that would have meant that all my friends were questionable and that was just ludicrous, or I just wasn't good enough to fight for. My wounded ego and fragile state of mind decided that it must have been the latter, and the very thought nearly crippled me.

Rylan didn't want me. He didn't even attempt to find a way for us to stay together. Maybe to an extent he wanted me, but he obviously didn't want me badly enough to try to convince his mother she was insane for making him choose. I wasn't worth even a second discussion with Nora. How could I have meant so little to him in the end? He was everything to me and I was…well, clearly not everything to him. My heart ached at that supposition. All the strong feelings I felt, the love, they were all one-sided yet again.

Then I kicked myself for giving him that stupid mock Heisman trophy. What a joke it must have looked like. I only hoped that Rylan threw it in the garbage right away. That was better than having him look at even once in a while and laugh at how pathetic I was. Maybe he put the stupid statue in the back of his closet next to the kitty litter painting of mine.

I promised Bella that I'd meet up with her the day after they all moved me in, but I couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed. I lied and told her I needed to get everything unpacked and put away. I knew she'd be worried, but I could barely keep my emotions in check while I was alone in my apartment; there was no way I'd be able to hold myself together in her presence or out in public for that matter. I was in no condition to be with people, even the people who loved me.

"I just need to be alone, Bells," I finally told her on the phone when she offered to come over with Edward to help me get things settled in the apartment.

I could hear the worry in her voice, but she respected my wishes and made me promise to call if I needed anything at all.

I shook my head and chuckled without humor but agreed. What I needed was a new heart since there was nothing left of the one I had. The hole that remained ached and burned. It almost felt like I still had a heart, and I likened it to the phantom pain felt by an amputee. The sharp tingling and acute pain sensations were there though the organ wasn't.

I had spent the next couple days wallowing. I needed to wallow, but I didn't want to do it in front of anyone. I thought about skipping class, but that would have just called more attention to my state of depression. Bella et al would have been over in a heartbeat staging some sort of intervention, and that was the last thing I wanted was people over. No, I went to class and plastered on…not a happy face, that would have been impossible, but a tolerable expression. It was all I could manage, the best that I could do.

I even managed to avoid seeing Rylan except for about five seconds. I had doubled back to the Student Union on the Wednesday of my first week alone because Physics lecture was canceled. I had only just left Edward there ten minutes before and texted him promptly after finding out class was canceled. We sat outside on a bench enjoying the sunshine, well, I was _trying_ to enjoy the sunshine, waiting for Bella, who still had class.

"So how are you really, Sabrina?" Edward asked me as we were people watching from our spot in the quad.

I shrugged even though he wasn't looking at me. "Okay, I guess."

"No, _really_, how are you?" Edward still wasn't looking at me, but I knew by his tone that he wouldn't quit till I told him the truth.

I finally blew out a long breath and whispered, "Shitty."

Edward turned to look at me, I saw out of the corner of my eye, but I continued to stare blankly in front of me.

"We're all really worried about you, you know?"

I shook my head. "Don't be," I said quietly.

Edward snorted, "Jesus, Sabrina. First, you tell me you're doing shitty and then you tell me we shouldn't worry?" He laughed without humor. "And why shouldn't we worry then?"

I shook my head again. "Because at least shitty is something. It's better than nothing. It's better than numb, which was how I was earlier this week. I got through numb. I can get through shitty…eventually."

"Can't we help you get through shitty?"

"Nah. I have to get through shitty on my own. It's a process I think."

Edward was thoughtful a moment. "So you were numb earlier this week. What were you before numb?" he asked.

I heaved a huge sigh as I thought of the words to best describe my state of being during the weekend last. "Oh, I'd say somewhere between broken and worthless I think," I answered him honestly.

I chanced a quick peek at Edward. He grimaced at my candid response. "You know how much that kills me to hear?"

"I'm sorry," I said matter-of-factly. "Don't ask if you can't handle the answers I guess," I suggested as I got up from the bench. The conversation was making me uncomfortable, and I didn't feel like sitting anymore. Edward got up with me though.

"But you have to know how much we all want to help."

"There's nothing to help with, Edward," I replied. There really wasn't. "Except to treat me like normal. I just need to…heal on my own. It takes time to get over a break up. I mean, I know I haven't had much experience with this, but I assume it's going to take a while."

We continued walking at a snail's pace as I continued. "I have to learn to be by myself again…to get used to sleeping alone again, which really sucks, by the way," I said acidly. I hated sleeping alone. "I have try to sleep period."

"You haven't been sleeping?" Edward asked.

We stopped walking and I gave him a dubious look. "Look at me, Edward. I look like shit. No, I haven't been sleeping. Not more than a couple hours at a time anyway." I smiled and shrugged. "No worries though," I said as we continued walking again. "I'm getting a lot of studying and artwork done when I'm not sleeping so there's an upside to insomnia."

"Yeah, you're going to need to burn the midnight oil if you're grades are going to keep up with mine," Edward joked. That was the first normal thing he had said to me since the break up. He made me crack a smile.

"Whatever, Cullen," I said shoving his shoulder and laughing. But then I caught a glimpse of Rylan when I turned to shove Edward.

My breath caught and I was feeling pain radiating from the hole where my heart used to be out to my fingertips, all from seeing Rylan from across the quad. We locked eyes for about three seconds. After realizing I was staring at him I had to force myself to look away just as some blond chick was coming up to him. I didn't know who it was because I refused to look at her long enough to figure it out, and I refused to look back. I abruptly turned away and started walking briskly. The last thing I recalled was the look of both sadness and guilt in Rylan's eyes.

"Fuck!" I said mostly to myself.

Edward had looked in the direction of where I was looking. I left him where he was standing when I walked in the opposite direction. Edward had to scramble to catch up.

"Shit, Sabrina, I don't think that was anybody," he said referring to the blond chick.

I shook my head and pressed the heel of my hand to sternum rubbing a couple of circles there before fidgeting with my fingers, wiggling them trying to get rid of the painful tingling I was feeling. I really didn't need to see Rylan. I especially didn't need to see Rylan with a random blond no matter if she was with him or just happened to be walking by him. I just didn't need to see that at all.

Edward had later told me that the blond chick was a classmate of Rylan's. Edward must have felt the need to find out. I didn't ask him to. The last thing I wanted was for Rylan to think I was checking up on him. It was none of my business whom he socialized with anymore.

I was over at Edward and Bella's on the following weekend to watch a baseball game since I didn't have a TV in my apartment. I was very reluctant about going over there since there was such a high probability of running into Rylan. But I went over anyway, on several occasions actually, and managed to not run into Rylan.

As the weeks went on, I was moving on from shitty. I'd still have shitty moments, but my outlook was brightening. I was running again, which helped to clear my head. I was less depressed even. I still didn't sleep very well, but I was able to harness that negative energy I was feeling into more positive chi.

Instead of forcing myself to study and work on my art when I'd inevitably wake up intermittently at night, I'd do it without hesitation as if waking up in the middle of the night was the normal thing to do, which for me then, it was. It was my new routine, and the more I got accomplished, the better I felt about myself. It was a twisted sort of therapy I suppose.

Edward and Bella would tell me any chance they got that Rylan kept asking about me. Admittedly, this bolstered my self-esteem as well. As much as I wanted to move on from Rylan, I couldn't help but feel good about his wondering about me.

They'd tell me how forlorn he'd look but also how his face lit up when they'd tell Rylan about what I was up to. I had to assume then that he still was interested in me. Interested enough to talk to his mom though? I didn't know, but I was actually working up the nerve to call him.

**EPoV**

It was strange seeing Sabrina pretty much everyday in classes or lab and then seeing Rylan next door in the mornings and evenings. They didn't visit each other as far as I knew. Sabrina didn't come over to our place except to watch football on the weekends. The Cubs were in the playoffs so we'd get together and watch those games at our place. Bella didn't even mind all the sports as long as Sabrina was around.

I did convince her to take piano lessons though it took a little while for her to grasp the idea that she'd be learning an original piece and not something she already knew.

"I don't get it, you want me to play _Chopsticks_ at your wedding? That's not very romantic, Cullen."

This was a month after she had moved out. Rylan wanted to have the piano delivered to Sabrina's apartment. After all, it was her gift. I had the delivery guys bring it over after our neuro class. Rylan had given me Sabrina's old key to his place to gain access to the piano in case he wasn't home. I think he skipped class just to be there for the pick up. I told him Bella had Sabrina's spare key so we could let the delivery guys up there. I also arranged for a guy to tune it on the same day. I wasn't sure if Sabrina wanted Rylan in her apartment, but I didn't see the harm. She went to the art studio straight after lecture to do some work, and Rylan really wanted to see her new place.

Sabrina was right. Her studio looked much homier than the first day we moved her in. She sanded and painted the table and chairs that Alice and Jasper donated. She even bejeweled the chairs in the color she painted them in, each different: light blue, purple, lime green and orange. The table was painted in a funky design incorporating all the colors of the chairs. Her window treatments were colorful offsetting the muted black and cream leather furniture donated by our parents. Her artwork was everywhere. It definitely was a Sabrina apartment. She set up screens separating her bedroom area from the rest of the open apartment. There was no television though. She figured she could use mine whenever she wanted. Plus, she had her laptop to play DVDs if she were so inclined.

I found a spot for the upright against the south wall where she had started painting a mural.

"This place is really coming along. I helped her hang some artwork the other day and she's already started a mural over here on this wall." I shook my head. She really must not sleep. Rylan read my mind.

"This place looks incredible. The walls were bare before?" I nodded. "When does she find time to sleep?"

The truth was, she wasn't sleeping much at all. She confided in me that she hated sleeping alone and could only sleep for a couple hours at a time, which was, at the very least, helpful for studying. We had the MCAT coming up. She wanted to hold off on piano until after taking the exam. I agreed. This was potentially the most important exam of our lives. Med schools scrutinized applicants over their MCAT score. It would determine where we would apply to med school. Not that it mattered to me. I planned on staying here in Seattle and hopefully doing my residency at Seattle General, where Dr. Jamison works, which is exactly why Sabrina refuses to stay in Seattle regardless if she gets accepted here. She's planning on applying to schools in Chicago. She swore me to secrecy. She didn't want Alice and Bella worrying about it yet. After all, she hasn't even applied or let alone gotten accepted anywhere yet.

She was definitely preparing for it. I saw MCAT review books and practice tests piled next to her desk.

Rylan was looking around as well. He looked in her fridge. I smiled. He was worried she wasn't eating. "Anything good in there?" I asked him.

"Milk, juice, eggs, Coronas, limes," he listed. "You know. The essentials. Tons of ice cream in the freezer," he laughed. He checked the cabinets. "Crispex, Grapenuts, Raisin Bran, Kix, Nutella spread, double stuffed Oreos. Yep, Sabrina Kingston lives here."

I laughed too. "You know, she once berated me for buying single stuffed Oreos rather than the double stuffed? She said, '_It's one thing if you've never had a double stuff, Edward, because you don't know what you're missing, but how can you go back to single stuffed Oreos after you've had the double stuffed? Are times that tough, Cullen?'_ She had a point. I haven't gone back to single stuffed since." I shook my head at the memory.

Rylan laughed too. "She made fun of me once because I didn't dip my Oreo in the milk right. Apparently there's a protocol for cookie dunking too. She has a protocol for everything." He looked like he remembered an inside joke. I pretended not to notice.

"Yeah, you have to keep the Oreo dunked for a count of six. Any less than that it's too crunchy, but any longer than that…"

"You risk disintegration," Rylan finished for me.

We both quoted simultaneously, "_There's a delicate balance_!" We both laughed.

"Man, I really miss her, Edward."

"Well, I know she misses you too. It's a tough situation. Isn't there any way to make things better?" I asked.

"Believe me, I've wracked my brain. I came up with a couple scenarios, but they don't seem to be fair to Sabrina. It boils down to me being selfish and wanting to carry on a relationship with her in secret. At least secret from my mom. Honestly, I've just been waiting for her to contact me. I don't think I'd have the willpower to stay away from her if she asked me to come back…but she has yet to call, text, or email. I only have the note she sent with my mock Heisman trophy."

"Is that what was in the box?" I asked. Rylan smiled and nodded. "That's cool."

"Yeah, I'll have to show it to you. Her note was amusing as well. Somehow she made me laugh out loud even in the midst of the black hole I was in, _am in_," he corrected himself morosely.

Man, this kid is in some pain. I felt bad for him. I wished there were something I could do.

"Hey, I'm all done tuning this. She should be good to go, son. Do you want to try her out before I leave?" the piano tuner asked.

I nodded. I sat down and started playing parts of Bella's lullaby that I've been writing, the original piece I'm going to teach to Sabrina. The piano sounded perfect. I nodded to the piano tuner conveying that it was fine and that he could go. I continued to play for a few minutes. I was jolted out of my reverie when Sabrina and Bella walked in. I immediately stopped playing.

"What are you doing here?" I asked flustered.

Sabrina put her palms us as she answered, "I live here!"

"No, why are you back so soon? I thought you were painting or something."

Bella laughed, "Sabrina freaked out because there was a rat on the premises of the art studio."

Sabrina shuddered, "You know I will not tolerate infestation."

"Sabrina, it was someone's pet!" Bella corrected.

"Vermin is vermin is vermin, Bells," she said, shuddering again. "Eww, rodentia!"

Sabrina turned her attention back to me. "What's the matter with you, Edward. You look like we caught you trying on my underwear…" Sabrina narrowed her eyes at me. "You haven't been trying on my underwear have you?"

Sabrina's head snapped around in surprise as she heard Rylan laughing from behind the door. He had been standing in the kitchen area during this whole exchange.

"Oh," was all she managed to utter at first. "Hi, Ry."

"Hey, Sabrina."

Neither made a move toward the other, though I imagined they both wanted to.

"Nice place. It definitely suits you," he smiled.

"Thanks. I'd show you around, but this is pretty much it. Unless you wanted to see the bathroom. Nothing exciting there, though my dad just got me a fantastic new electric toothbrush. It feels like I just got my teeth polished at the dentist's office each time I use it."

"That sounds nice," Rylan commented.

Bella looked over at me as they had their little conversation. She motioned her head toward the door indicating that we should leave them alone. I nodded and we left quietly.

"That was great, Edward. Did you plan that?" she asked after quickly kissing me hello.

I was confused. "Plan what?"

"Their whole meeting up there. It was perfect! Today is the happiest I've seen Sabrina in a long time and she was even contemplating calling Rylan!" Bella was beaming.

"Love, I wish I could say that I had it all planned, but I did not. Everyone was in the right place at the right time. Thank goodness for vermin, huh?"

"Yeah, thank goodness Sabrina's scared to death of rats!" We laughed. "Hey, what was that you were playing when we got upstairs?"

Crap! I was hoping she wasn't paying attention. "Nothing. I was just messing around making sure the guy tuned the piano correctly."

"Oh, it was pretty whatever it was."

I smiled. Note to self: I'm on the right track.

**Rylan PoV**

Edward started playing the piano to test it out. The piano tuner left, and I was standing in Sabrina's little kitchen listening to Edward play. I couldn't believe I was actually in her apartment. I'd been wondering for weeks how she was, what her place looked like and just what she'd been up to in general.

What I'd been wondering most of all was if she missed me even half as much as I missed her. It didn't seem possible. I'd been broken without her. I couldn't take a complete breath anymore. I'd scan the campus for just a glimpse of her. I knew where to look now since Edward was usually with her before and after their biology classes.

I was completely jealous of Edward. Not because he had anything going on with Sabrina, but he got to see her everyday. He got to talk to her and just hang out with her. Something I hadn't done for quite a while now. I was just as jealous of Bella, Alice, her professors, the guy at the coffee shop even.

I'd wanted to approach her, but was frightened of her reaction. I didn't want to assume that she wanted to see me so I just watched her from afar. Was it really stalking if you loved that person? That's probably what every stalker in the history of stalking has ever said. I was acting like a criminal now, but I didn't care. I just wanted to see her with my own eyes. I grilled Edward pretty much every time I saw him about how Sabrina was. I was surprised he hadn't been avoiding me because of it. I think he felt sorry for me. Normally, I wouldn't want anyone's pity, but when it came to Sabrina, I'd take whatever tidbits of information I could get, even if it was out of pity. I had no shame anymore.

Sabrina and Bella didn't notice me when they entered the apartment. I was able to watch Sabrina in her natural habitat, so to speak. She was just so funny. I had to keep from chuckling during the vermin debate, but I couldn't hold it in when she accused Edward of trying on her underwear.

Her head turned in my direction when she heard me laugh.

"Oh," she was surprised to see me, though she greeted me nonchalantly. "Hi, Ry."

"Hey, Sabrina." I wanted to go over to her and at the very least sweep her up into my arms, but I had to be content with standing in the same room as her. Baby steps.

"Nice place. It definitely suits you." _By the way, love you_. I smiled at her, hoping she'd smile back at me. She did.

"Thanks. I'd show you around, but this is pretty much it. Unless you wanted to see the bathroom. Nothing exciting there, though my dad just got me a fantastic new electric toothbrush. It feels like I just got my teeth polished at the dentist's office each time I use it." She ran her tongue over the front of her teeth and smiled again at me.

"That sounds nice," I commented. Only my Sabrina would go on and on about a toothbrush and make it sound like the greatest thing on the planet. How I wanted to kiss her and experience for myself how smooth her teeth felt. I smiled at the very thought. Would I ever get to kiss her again?

Sabrina turned back around to look at either Edward or Bella, I assumed, but they had left. She looked back at me and shrugged.

"So…how have you been, Ry? I've missed you." She smiled at me ruefully.

Yes! She really did miss me! "Me too…I mean I've missed you too, Sabrina." _Also, you're beautiful and I want to kiss every inch of your petite frame right now_. "Thanks for the Heisman, by the way. That was really sweet of you."

She smiled mischievously at me. "You're welcome, but I never got a proper thank you note. Where are your manners, young man?"

She'd given me an idea. "Actually, that's why I'm here." She gave me a funny look. "Um, can I get my Alcatraz shirt back?"

Her face fell slightly, "Oh," she said sadly. "Sure. Of course. I'll just go get it." Crap! She thought I didn't want her to have it. _Way to go, Rylan, just when she was in good spirits._

I quickly took off the blue Hawaiian Punch t-shirt I was currently wearing as I waited for her to return with the other one. "Here you go. Sorry I stole it." She was looking at the floor instead of at me. Her voice was still sad.

"Sabrina," I said. She looked up at me finally.

"Oh." My half-naked form took her aback. I noticed her stifling a smirk. "What are you doing?"

"Swapping shirts of course." I handed her my blue one while taking back the Alcatraz t-shirt and throwing it back on. Mmm. Cherry blossoms. It smelled like her. I remembered what she told me about liking to smell my scent on the t-shirts. Now I knew what she meant. I didn't want to take this shirt off ever as long it smelled like Sabrina.

She smiled acknowledging my actions. "Thanks, Ry." She seemed relieved to still have one of my shirts. And I was ecstatic that I got her to smile again.

I stared intensely into her big brown eyes. "Anytime."

She dropped her gaze to the shirt as if there were something really interesting in the fabric of it. She switched subjects to ask about me, "So how have you been?"

"Okay," I replied a little sadly because she looked away from me and also because that was all I was, _okay_. Nothing more.

"Layla all right?" she asked brightly, finally looking at me again.

"Yep. We hang out. She's really into puzzles now."

I was blessed with another smile. "Yeah, Maisy loves them!" She pursed her lips probably trying to think up small talk. It was an awkward silence. This is what we'd been reduced to. We used to be able to stare at each other for hours not uttering a syllable, and now we were struggling for a conversation starter.

"Hey, your decorating is great. These art pieces are really good. How come you didn't leave me any of your work?" I asked feigning hurt.

She knitted her eyebrows together. "Oh, I didn't think you were into it," she replied. What? How could she think that?

"You have the one that your mom took originally. It was in the back of your closet. It still stunk like cat, by the way. I assumed you didn't really like my artwork."

I opened my mouth to rebut, but she continued before I could. "Don't worry. It's okay if you don't like it. I mean, yeah, my feelings were hurt at first, but admittedly it's not one of my best pieces. It's a BR and I don't expect everyone to like my stuff anyway." She shrugged glumly. Damn! I did it again. Somehow I managed to hurt her feelings without even trying to. In fact, my intent was to protect her feelings. I was an idiot!

"Sabrina, I love your work."

"You do?"

"Of course. I only put it there to spare your feelings from…what my mom did. I…What's a BR?" I asked.

She smiled sheepishly. "It's how I classify my work. There was my stuff BR, Before Rylan and then AR, obviously After Rylan. That kitty litter piece was a BR. I wasn't really feeling it yet. This," she gestured to a painting hanging on her wall, "is an AR. There's more depth to it I think. More emotion. I know it looks messy and easy to do, but I scrutinize over every drop and splash of paint." She bit her lip before she continued. "This was inspired by the ugly sweater party. See the red here and here? That was the red background of my zebra head sweater and the scary clown hair of yours…" She smiled as drifted off. I think she was trying to remember better times.

"Yeah," I whispered. I was looking over the painting. I saw Bella's hot pink and black. I saw red and white like Jasper's candy canes. I saw tropical colors, wintry greens and a whole lot of Cosby-ness. And then there was a bit of smurf blue in it that made me smile. "I get it." I kept staring at it. "This is great."

"Thanks," she replied. "So, I'm sorry. If you want another, have a look around. Take what you like."

"Well, I don't want to keep you from anything…"

"Oh, I'll just be studying. You know we have the MCAT in a couple weeks then I'm applying to med schools."

"Oh, yeah. So have you decided on schools yet?"

She hesitated before answering, like she wasn't sure she wanted to tell me. "Um, you know, Rush, UIC, Northwestern, Loyola."

I stopped breathing for a moment. I swallowed hard. "Oh, those are all in Chicago," I pointed out, to myself really. Sabrina knew where these schools were. I got a little lightheaded. She was eventually going to be leaving Seattle, her friends, me.

"Um, listen, Edward knows, but don't say anything to Bells okay. She's going to freak as it is. So will Alice for that matter, and I don't need to worry them before I've even applied, let alone before I've been accepted." I nodded slowly. "Are you okay, Rylan?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Uh, those are great schools. Really prestigious. Let me know how the MCAT goes and the med school decision too." Oh, god, I didn't want her to go away. _Please don't go away._

I tried to distract myself by looking at the paintings so I could pick one out, but all I could do was silently curse Chicago. "Would you hate me if I told you I want the ugly sweater piece?" I asked her sheepishly.

Sabrina smiled, "I could never hate you, Ry. Of course you can have it. It's a good memory isn't it?"

I nodded. It really was. Then I remembered I came to her place with Edward. The painting was kind of big and awkward to carry ten blocks. "Hey, Sabrina, do you mind giving me a lift home with the painting? I came here with Edward earlier…"

"Oh, sure. I was going over to Bella's and Edward's to watch the Cubs in the playoffs anyway. You haven't ridden in the Punisher in a while have you?" she grinned. I shook my head. She loved her beat up old car. And I loved that she loved it. The Punisher really did have a lot of character.

Sabrina removed the sweater painting from the wall and handed it to me. The ride over was short and spent, once again, in awkward silence. This sucked. We couldn't even talk to each other anymore. Maybe she just didn't want to talk to me. I looked over at her while she drove. Her brows were slightly scrunched together. She looked like she was thinking hard about something.

"Rylan?" Sabrina's lips were pursed again, brows still knitted together.

"Yeah?"

She opened her mouth to say something but shook her head instead. "Nevermind."

"No, what were you going to say?"

She parked in Bella's driveway. I was still watching her, waiting for her to finish her thought. "You have a visitor."

I looked to my driveway. Damn. It was Gwen. She had Layla with her.

"Hi, Sabrina," Layla ran over to Sabrina and gave her a hug as Sabrina kneeled down to greet my sister.

"Hi, Layla. How are you?" Sabrina smiled at her.

"Fine. Are you visiting Rylan?" Layla asked.

Sabrina hesitated a moment, "Not really. I'm just giving him a ride home. My friends live right over here," Sabrina pointed to Bella's house. "I'm visiting them."

"Oh. That's good," Layla responded. Sabrina gave her a kind of weird look, probably pondering what Layla meant by that comment. "See you, Sabrina."

"Bye, Layla," Sabrina waved, still looking a bit bewildered.

Layla ran back over to Gwen, "Nope, Gwen, it's okay you don't have to tell my mom. Sabrina's visiting her friends."

Crap! I looked over at Sabrina who was surveying the scene looking like she understood what was going on. She was nodding her head infinitesimally. She pushed the button on her remote to lock her car with a beep and then turned on her heel walking into Bella and Edward's condo without so much as a goodbye.

I walked over to my door where Gwen and Layla were. My jaw was clenched.

"Hello, Ry-Ry," Gwen said brightly.

"You came to spy on me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"Not at all, Rylan. You must be paranoid. Layla wanted to see you," she lied. The reason I knew she lied was because Layla protested.

I opened my door and I followed them inside without completely shutting it behind me since I knew this visit wouldn't take long, which was good because I'd see if I could watch the baseball game with Sabrina next door.

"Nuh-uh. I said I wanted to go to the park and then you said we have to see if Rylan is with Sabrina and let my mommy know if he is."

I crossed my arms as I stared at Gwen with an eyebrow raised.

She laughed uncomfortably. "Layla has quite the imagination doesn't she?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "But since we're here…Rylan you never even gave me a proper hello."

"Hello," I said stiffly.

Gwen shook her head as she walked closer to me. "No, that won't do, Rylan."

And the next thing that happened was like a something out of a soap opera. I kept replaying it in my head afterward, trying to see if I could have prevented it somehow.

Gwen crept closer to me, I backed up toward the front door, Gwen grabbed my head and kissed me fiercely the exact same time someone, Sabrina of course, pushed open the door that was already ajar, bringing in the painting that we had left in the Punisher.

I tried pushing Gwen off of me the same time Sabrina startled us, at least she startled me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. The door was open." Sabrina's expression was incredulous. She looked at me and then at Gwen. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I'm…sorry," Sabrina said again looking away from me, setting the painting down and then promptly leaving. This…was not good.

"Leave now, Gwen," I said in a warning tone.

"Oh, I hope Sabrina didn't get the wrong idea," she lied again with a giggle. Unbelievable! "Come on Layla. Let's go to the park." Layla followed Gwen out. I watched them as they got into Gwen's car and drove off.

I quickly ran over to Edward's place and knocked on the door.

Bella answered. She opened the door for me to come in. "Thanks," I said. I couldn't ignore the fact that Bella was eyeing me disapprovingly.

"Sabrina?" I called to her. She was coming out of the bathroom.

"Thanks for the use of your facilities. I'll be going now." Sabrina purposely walked around me leaving plenty of girth, trying not to come in close proximity to me. She wasn't even looking at me.

"Bye. I'll talk to you later, Sabrina," Bella said.

Edward walked out of the bedroom. "You're leaving already, Sabrina? The game is about to start."

"Um, I'll just listen to it on the radio while I study. Maybe I'll be over for the next game. Big Z will be pitching. Bye guys." She slipped out the door and I followed her out.

"Sabrina, that wasn't what you think it was," I pleaded with her.

She kept walking to her car. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Ry. It's none of my business who you cavort with." She was looking at the ground, not willing to meet my eyes. I was right next to her though.

"But we weren't…cavorting. It was an attack." I had to think fast. I had to convince her it wasn't a consensual kiss. "Remember what Tanya did to Edward at the club that night?"

Her head snapped up finally. "Rylan. It's fine. It's none of my business anyway. I'll see you around." She climbed in her car. As quickly as she strapped on her seatbelt, she backed out and drove off.

Damn it! We were making so much progress earlier and this had to happen. I was pacing in the driveway trying to think of what to do. She said it was none of her business, but I _wanted_ it to be her business. _I_ want to be her business.

After a couple hours of pacing my carpet, I decided to go to her apartment. I knew I told Edward that I'd wait for her to contact me, but I'd been away from her for too long already. The little contact I had with her today only made me crave to be with her more. I was like an addict, and she was my fix. I needed to be with Sabrina again, now. I'd worry about the ramifications of my actions later.

I parked my car in the street across from her apartment and watched her window. Yep, I really was a stalker now. I hoped no one would call the police on me.

I was contemplating what to do next. Do I just go up there? Would she even let me in? Should I call her first? Would she even answer? What reason would I even give her for coming over here?

I saw movement on her little balcony. Sabrina was sitting on a chair putting her feet up on a makeshift ottoman. I could faintly hear the baseball game coming from a radio in her apartment. She was sketching on a large pad on her lap while listening to the game. She looked so comfortable, so at ease. I could even hear a little mumbling from her, making me smile. She was probably cursing at something in the game.

Now was as good a time as any to go up there. I took a deep breath and got out of my car. The sound of my door closing must have caught her attention. She stopped sketching and looked in my direction. She was squinting at me. She must not have had her contacts in.

"Rylan?" she asked.

I waved with one hand, rubbing the back of my neck with my other hand, "Hi, Sabrina. Can I come up?"

**A/N Steph Meyer owns Twilight. I own a couple copies of the book Twilight. Just thought I'd clear that up for you ;D So, I scrutinized over this chapter. Had a bit of writers block which is why it has taken me a couple days to update. Normally, you know me, I'm all over it. I wanted to help Sabrina and Rylan out a bit and move that story along so I can get back to BxE stuff as well. I don't want to give anything away but I guess I should say: Lemon Alert! On second thought, maybe the exclamation point isn't needed. After reading some other FF out there, my stuff is soooo tame so: lemon alert. Don't get me wrong, I like to read a good lemon, but I sure can't write it (blushes). Here you go with chapter 30 (wow! 30!).**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N Steph Meyer owns Twilight. I own a couple copies of the book Twilight. Just thought I'd clear that up for you ;D So, I scrutinized over this chapter. Had a bit of writers block which is why it has taken me a couple days to update. Normally, you know me, I'm all over it. I wanted to help Sabrina and Rylan out a bit and move that story along so I can get back to BxE stuff as well. I don't want to give anything away but I guess I should say: Lemon Alert! On second thought, maybe the exclamation point isn't needed. After reading some other FF out there, my stuff is soooo tame so: lemon alert. Don't get me wrong, I like to read a good lemon, but I sure can't write it (blushes). Here you go with chapter 30 (wow! 30!).**

**Chapter 30 Sabrina PoV**

What a mess this all turned into. So much heartache could have been saved if only…

What's the point of speculating? Decision made. Case closed. Suck it up and move on, Sabrina.

Suck it up? I could do that. Move on? Not likely…Not likely at all.

It's been a month since I've been in the new apartment. I haven't spoken to Rylan since I moved out. It wasn't because I didn't want to. It's hard to articulate how I've felt about this whole debacle, how it just snowballed so quickly. How did we go from his mom not liking me to me moving out? It's all been a blur, but it's also like it happened in slow motion.

The slow motion portion happened as Rylan explained what happened at his mother's house that day. As I stared at the floor, he told me about his mother's fears. _Fears_. He was completely sugar coating the venom that I'm positive Nora was spewing. Big deal, she thought I was a gold digger. So what she insulted my intelligence and upbringing? And believe me, I've been called worse things than flighty and capricious. But WTF, man? She's going to make her own son choose between me and his family, but _I _wasn't raised right. What a laugh. I was too pissed to even think straight.

The literal and figurative blur happened after my mom's phone call. I cried so hard that night, I really couldn't see clearly. Then I was caught in a frenzy of airports, airplanes, funeral homes, cemeteries, family gatherings, classes, moving, crying, organizing, crying, studying, and yes, more crying. I'm pretty sure I was all cried out after a month. That's not to say that I didn't miss Rylan, because I missed him terribly. So why didn't I call him? Again, I'm not sure I can articulate the reason why, but I think it boils down to fear. Doesn't it always boil down to fear? I understand the decision he had to make. I didn't like, but I understood nonetheless. When the very thought of Rylan set me off emotionally, how could I talk to him, let alone face him without breaking down all over again? So fear of what exactly? I was just getting over the stupid fear of commitment and then along comes rejection. I guess the universe always finds a way to balance itself out.

The insomnia was a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that I was able to get a lot of studying and artwork done. When I eventually got to sleep I'd wake up two hours later and not be able to get back to sleep so I'd get some work done for a couple hours. I'd sleep again for a couple hours and wake up again and get some more work done. It was good for my grades, but wreaked havoc on my body. I was tired but never tired enough to sleep properly. I knew my body needed the restful, restorative sleep that alluded me but I hadn't slept well since…well, since that last night when Rylan came into the spare room to stay with me if, I had to be honest.

I wondered if I'd ever get to feel his arms around me ever again. The way things were going, it seemed unlikely. Unlikely, but not impossible. I was becoming increasingly optimistic. Well, honestly, I was at such an all time low after the move that really there was nowhere to go but up.

But my classes were going great, I found inspiration for art out of my despair, I couldn't have a more supportive group of friends and family, and the Cubs were in the playoffs. I haven't been this happy…I guess I haven't been this happy for over a month now. I told Bella that I was thinking about calling up Rylan to see if he wanted to watch the Cubs game with me when she remarked on how I was exceptionally cheerful today despite the rat in the art studio snafu. So imagine my surprise at hearing Rylan laughing and then actually seeing him in my apartment.

Crazy. That's the only word to describe how the day was. Edward had told me Rylan wanted me to have the piano so I finally relented. What was Rylan going to do with it at his place anyways? It's not like he knows how to play _Chopsticks_, right? Edward and Bella had my spare key so he had access to my apartment to have the piano delivered. Edward said that he had everything taken care of so I decided to try to get some work done at the art studio.

I was actually getting a lot done until one of my classmates brought in his pet rat, Romeo. Who the hell keeps a rat for a pet? And _Romeo_? Can you think of a more ironic name for vermin? He was leashed, but still. As long as Romeo was in the studio, I was out of there! Eww, rats. Rodents in general make me shudder. That was the reason I decided not to go the route of majoring in psychology. You have to do some behavioral studies with rats and mice. Uh, no thanks. Call me crazy, but I'd rather be in cadaver lab sorting through bladders, kidneys, and intestines. Also, cadavers don't bite.

I ran into Bella as I was leaving the art studio. She was leaving the Reading Writing Center at the same time. She laughed at me when I told her why I quit painting for the day even though I was on a roll.

"Come on, Sabrina, it was on a leash," she teased me.

I shook my head. "Bella, the very thought, the very idea of being in the same room as that…" I made a face and shuddered, "I couldn't concentrate anymore. Anyway, now we can hang out. Want to come over? Edward's over there supervising the delivery of that silly piano."

"Aren't you excited about taking lessons again?" she laughed as we both, I'm sure, remembered my horror with Mrs. Crabbe.

I remembered my piano mission for their wedding before I answered, "I guess it won't be too bad, but if Edward even plays at smacking my fingers, sorry Bella, but your fiancé is getting a karate chop to the throat." We both laughed. I didn't foresee any problems with the lessons except we decided to hold off until after the MCAT. As it was, I was so busy I had to make an appointment just to scratch my own butt. Okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the point.

Anyway, it was definitely awkward, at best, when Rylan and I found ourselves alone. We were chatting just fine but then I turned to look for Bella and Edward only to discover that they had bounced leaving the two of us there.

It seems that the misunderstandings plague us now. First it was my BR painting that Rylan had in his closet to spare my feelings. Then, it was his asking for his Alcatraz shirt back. I have to say, though, that I enjoyed that misunderstanding in that I was able to ogle Rylan for a fleeting moment. He looked as healthy as ever. Then, finally, it was the Gwen kiss debacle earlier, which, I think, actually stopped my heart for a good three seconds when I witnessed Rylan kissing Gwen, or rather, Gwen molesting Rylan.

But for now, all is right with the world. As Rylan and I found ourselves in this compromising position…Okay, let me rewind a little...

I was listening to the Cubs game on the radio. Actually, I was cursing the Cubs game as I was sketching on my little balcony when I heard a car door close. I turned to look and had to squint to in order to make out Rylan's form across the street. He looked nervous as he asked if he could come up. He looked unsure of my answer. Like I could deny him anything.

"Come on up," I told him.

I stood out in the hallway outside my open door waiting for him. It didn't take him long to get up three flights of stairs. He must have taken them two, maybe three at a time. He was only slightly out of breath when he reached me though.

I smiled as he approached me. I was actually really happy to see him despite driving off so abruptly before. I was a little hurt and extremely jealous when I walked in on him and Gwen, but after he compared it to Tanya's stunt with Edward a few months back, I was able to relax. It really was none of my business though, as I told Rylan in the driveway.

"Did you forget something?" I asked him as I followed him inside the apartment. I closed the door and turned back to face Rylan only to run right into him. I pulled a Bella and almost fell as I hit him, but his quick reflexes kept me on my feet as his arms wrapped around my waist holding me up.

We were standing so close, I was sure he could hear and feel my heart thudding against my chest. "Sorry about that," I apologized for my clumsiness. "Thanks," I also managed to stutter out.

His hazel eyes were boring into my brown ones as he replied, "Anytime."

I was expecting him to let go, hoping he wouldn't but still expecting him to. He didn't. He kept his arms around my waist, not that I minded, of course. I've been craving this since I moved out.

Usually I would look away from his gaze when Rylan's eyes got this intense, but right then and there, I couldn't look away. I wouldn't look away. We hadn't been this close in so long; I refused to be the one to break the connection.

Rylan's eyes searched mine, and when he sufficiently determined that I wasn't trying to break away from his hold or wander from his gaze, he smiled his heartbreaking smile at me. And I, in turn, smiled back at him. How could I not? He was looking at me with such love and longing, matching my gaze at him.

My hands were clutching his muscular forearms. I had placed them there to hold on for dear life and remain upright from when I ran into him. I moved one to place it on his warm cheek. I traced his jaw line with the back of my fingers before brushing my fingertips ever so softly against his full lips.

Just as softly, Rylan kissed my fingertips. I savored the feel of his lips on my skin before I moved my fingers and placed my hand on his cheek again as we both slowly, cautiously leaned toward each other. The warmth and gentleness of Rylan's lips against mine reminded me of our very first kiss that night last summer when we were stargazing. But unlike our first kiss, this one soon turned urgent as his mouth moved greedily against mine.

It was as if we were pouring our souls out to each other in this kiss. Everything that we've wanted to say but hadn't said over the past month came out. Every emotion that we've felt: love, loss, anger, sorrow, rejection, longing, jealousy, lust all manifested in this kiss.

I suddenly felt whole again being in his arms. I closed what little space we had left between us by clutching his body tighter and crushing mine against his. He fell backwards sitting on the leather sectional sofa. I was standing in front of Rylan, situated between his legs, eye level to him. As we continued to kiss, my hands wandered underneath his t-shirt and up his back, grazing the taught skin over his muscular, toned form.

Apparently I just let my body take over as I pulled the t-shirt up as high as I could get it before we broke the kiss just long enough for me to finish pulling it over Rylan's head completely removing it and tossing it onto the floor.

He kept one hand on the small of my back while he slid the other under my shirt caressing first my low back, then moving to my hip, my waist, up my torso and settling on my right breast. I let out a soft moan as I stepped back just far enough for Rylan to remove my shirt. It, too, was thrown aside as I grabbed his hand and led him the short distance to my bed.

My back was to Rylan when we reached my bed. He cupped both my breasts as he continued to kiss the back of my neck and shoulders. I reached my arms up to touch his hair and hold the back of his neck in order to keep him close. Then, I somehow twisted my body around to face him. His hands were still wandering down the rest of my body as our mouths found each other's again. I unbuttoned his jeans and shimmied them off along with his boxer briefs. I ran my hands around to his backside cupping his perfect butt before bringing one hand to the front stroking him.

Rylan shivered a little and spoke my name softly. He unhooked my bra for me and tossed it aside before tugging at my yoga pants. Soon we were both naked and tangled together on the bed, feverishly making love. Rylan elicited more moans and a few _Oh gods_ from me. Rylan, in turn, whispered my name and _I love you_ as he hovered above me, and I could see it there in his eyes as we both finally came.

We laid there in silence afterwards in that all too familiar and comforting spooning position. I couldn't believe we just did that. It happened so fast, there was no time to even think about it. Perhaps, I didn't want to think about. Maybe I unconsciously wanted this to happen. Oh, hell, who am I kidding? I definitely wanted this consciously as well. I've been fantasizing about this the past month, about reconciliation, about being together again, but how? I finally turned to look at Rylan.

When our eyes met, neither of us could stifle the smile creeping across both of our faces. That was a good sign. I don't think Rylan regretted what we just did. I know I didn't. While sex, I know, is not the answer to our problems, it was at least a bridge to start the dreaded conversation we had looming over us.

After surveying his face for any signs of regret over our impulsive actions, I decided it was all right to talk again.

"So…is it safe for me to assume that you finally got your head out of your, ass, Rylan?"

He smiled even wider. "Yes, I believe that I have gotten my head out of there," he agreed.

I snuggled closer to him if that were possible. "Good, because we need to talk."

He nodded. "I agree…but I'm not sure where to start."

I see that I was going to have to initiate the conversation here. I first sat up and pushed Rylan's shoulder, "Lay on your back please," I requested. He did as I asked, albeit with a perplexed expression.

I placed my head in the space between his neck and shoulder, may favorite spot, "I think better when I'm in the crook. My mind is clearer," I explained as I draped my arm across his chest to rest it on his opposite shoulder. "Plus, I've missed just being here."

His chest shook as he chuckled, "I've missed this as well, Sabrina. More than you know."

"So tell me," I ordered.

He took a deep breath. "Sabrina, this past month has been hell. I feel wretched for everything that's happened. I wish I could change the current situation, but I don't know how. You know I want to be with you. I hope that's obvious, and if it's not, I'm declaring it now. I want us to be together again. I love you."

He heaved a sigh of relief and paused, waiting expectantly for my response. I think he was expecting a soliloquy of sorts or at the very least, something profound and eloquent, but all I said was, "Me too."

It's not that I wasn't capable of elaborating, but like I said, my mind was clear while in the crook so my wheels were turning, analyzing our situation.

"Sabrina, remember when I said you'd make a great defense attorney?"

"Yeah?" I replied. He always thought my logic was convoluted, but it always made sense to me. Rylan used to tell me that my reasoning is imaginative and colorful.

"Well, I need you to reason this one out. The outcome to our problem is that we want to be together, yes?"

"Yes," I agreed.

"Okay, but the problem is my mom says as long as I'm with you I'm not a part of the family and not welcome in her home."

"Right," I said tersely, shaking my head as I recalled the ultimatum. I thought a moment as we lay there silently. Then it came to me. "Oh, well, then it all comes down to semantics then doesn't it, Rylan?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Exactly," I said nodding my head. I sat up smiling at him. "Semantics," I said again.

Yes, babe. But what do you _mean_?" he was trying to hide his frustration. He still didn't get it.

"Rylan, semantics is all in the meaning and choice of words. You're mom says that as long as I'm your _girlfriend_, your not welcome blah, blah, blah, right?" He nodded. I shrugged. "Well, I'm not your girlfriend." He knitted his eyebrows together and pouted slightly.

"You're not my girlfriend?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I happen to be a girl and I am your friend. So we'll leave it at that. We'll just be friends." I stared at him as if it were obvious. Rylan smiled as he was catching on.

His face soon turned serious though. "But Sabrina, that isn't fair to you. I'd feel bad keeping our relationship a secret. You deserve better. You're not some…dirty little secret. That's wrong."

"Rylan," I interrupted, "The choice your mom forced you to make is _wrong_. Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I don't need a fancy _girlfriend_ label in order to know how you feel about me. And really, the only person that needn't know about us is your mom anyway. Well, I guess your mom and her cohorts, Gwen and Marge. And I already don't care what they think about me. I want you to be able to see Layla, but I'm also selfish and I want to see you too. Any way I can. I don't care that I sound desperate and pathetic right now because that's what I am."

His eyes searched mine again. I refused to look away. "Are you sure?"

I smiled and nodded, "Positive, _my friend_." I leaned down to kiss him. "Now tell me I'm not smart."

"Well, if you're so smart, how come you didn't come up with this sooner?" he teased.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Give me a break. My boyfriend broke up with me, my grandmother died; I had to move and thus, haven't been in the crook so I haven't been able to think clearly. Bite me."

He smiled mischievously, "Maybe later. Right now, I'd rather kiss you." Rylan pulled me to him and kissed me so passionately, he made my toes curl. "So…we're friends?" He asked. I nodded. "Are we what the kids call _friends with benefits_?"

I grinned devilishly. "_Tremendous benefits_!" I corrected. He grinned back at me. "That's my story and I'm sticking to it," I shrugged.

**A/N Well, what did you think? They still have obstacles to overcome, but this is a start. I hated that they were both so miserable. So there you go. Oh, my story was C2'ed. Can anyone clarify what that means for me? I assume it's a good thing? And if so, I am honored. Okay, Review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own Saving me. Glad that's all cleared up. So if you check out my profile, I put a web address on there where you can view the ugly sweaters from chapter 14. Enjoy. So back to some more fluff. Hope you like it, and remember to review!**

**Chapter 31 Rylan PoV**

_Tremendous benefits_. That's about right. Seriously, what did I ever do to deserve this woman? It's almost not right how altruistic she is. Sabrina claims she's being selfish, but really she's sacrificing a lot. I swear I will not take her for granted or make her regret her decision to be with me.

We talked some more after deciding to be _friends_. Of course we were so much more to each other, but our relationship can't be summed up or defined by a few choice words or labels anyway.

I asked her about her family and what they thought of our situation or if they even knew about it. Of course she had told Chera. I was frightened that her parents hated me now. I guess that'd be what I deserved.

Sabrina reassured me that her parents didn't think badly of me. But my mother on the other hand. Well, apparently it would be wise for her to steer clear of Forks, Washington, indefinitely. I asked for clarification on that. Surely she meant it as a joke.

"Rylan, my mom didn't take too kindly to some of your mom's accusations and comments. It was all I could do to keep her from going to see your mom. Chera's a bit of a pistol so I'd expect some hot-headedness from her, but I'll tell you this. Esme Cullen is even mad, and I've never seen her mad. Ever. Not even when Emmett spewed chocolate covered cherries all over her cream colored carpet," I gave her a curious look. "It was another episode of chubby bunny," she explained. I nodded in understanding. "Anyway, it's all coming from a good place. They're just protective of me. They don't blame you, Ry."

"But they hate my mom, right?" I winced.

"No…they don't hate her," Sabrina said hesitantly.

I shook my head. "You don't have to protect my feelings, Sabrina. It just hurts to hear that people, kind people, hate my mom. I know she hasn't behaved the way a good mother should, but she's still my mother after all. I have to love her unconditionally."

Sabrina just looked at me and shook her head. "Listen to yourself, Rylan. You're behaving how a good son should. You love her despite her recent behavior. Shouldn't she love you unconditionally as well?" She paused to let that sink in.

"Anyway, they don't hate her, Rylan. They hate the position she put you in. They hate that a couple of good kids got hurt in the process. But they don't hate her…Now, Rosalie and Alice…" Wow. It's clear my mother isn't the most popular person within Sabrina's circle. It was good to know that Sabrina's parents didn't blame me. But I was a little frightened of Rosalie and Alice though.

"So are you going to tell your friends about us?" I asked. I hoped so. I really enjoy hanging out with everyone. It's always such a good time.

"Um, they're your friends now too, Ry," she clarified. That was nice to hear. They're a really great group. "Anyway, I'm not sure. Should I? I'd like to. I know they won't blow our cover. But how would I tell them? _Yeah, Rylan and I are back together but pretending that we're not_? Or _ It's purely sexual_?"

I had to laugh at that one. "Yeah, tell them I'm your sex slave. That should go over well."

"_Meet Rylan, my concubine_. The girls will be very impressed."

I was shaking with laughter. _Concubine!_ "How about you tell them that we're just friends? Huh? That just may be crazy enough to work, don't you think?"

"Fine, but they'll see right through it. It'd be more truthful to go the concubine route, but whatever. They'll just be glad you're back. Emmett missed you especially, Rylan. He took the break up almost as hard as I did."

"I'm glad to be back, Sabrina." I kissed the top of her head. "And just so you know, I'd be proud to be your concubine," my voice got husky all of a sudden.

Sabrina rolled onto her shoulder to look me in the eye while seductively scratching and rubbing my bare stomach and getting dangerously…dangerous. I can never think straight when she does that. She smiled devilishly. "I want to cash in on some of my benefits now, please," she stated innocently. And so, I did as a sex slave should.

There's a subject we will need to talk about soon though. Chicago. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I pushed her med school decisions out of my mind for now so I can appreciate every second I am privileged to spend with Sabrina even though she's currently asleep in my arms. She looks so peaceful. I'm glad she's finally resting. She looked so tired earlier. She's still as beautiful as always, but her eyes don't have the same sparkle to them. I will have to bring the sparkle back.

Sabrina had been asleep for exactly two hours when she began to stir. It was one in the morning. She stretched her arms up hitting me in the face with the back of her hand.

"Ow," I pretended like it hurt.

Sabrina turned to look at me. She had a very puzzled expression. She sat up and glanced around her apartment and would glance back at me occasionally. Sabrina looked as if she were trying to figure something out.

Panic washed through me. I wonder if she's changed her mind. Maybe she didn't want to be friends with or without benefits, no matter how tremendous they were. Maybe she's realized that she isn't going to put up with me or my mom's BS. Maybe she regrets making love earlier. Damn it! I wished she'd say something.

Finally she was looking at me with the same perplexed expression and spoke, "Did the Cubs lose or was that a nightmare?"

I will never figure this woman out for as long as I live. Never.

"Um, they lost…Sorry," I said slowly.

"Damn! I was hoping I dreamt that. Ugh! Stupid Cubs!" She scowled and cursed the Cubs some more under her breath as she looked down and shook her head. Then she looked back up at me, thought a moment, and smiled. "You stayed!"

I had to smile in return, "Of course I did. You're surprised?" I was a little hurt. Did she think I'd just get up and leave after having sex?

"A little I guess. I don't expect you to stay, Ry. Don't feel like you have to, I mean."

"Hey," I said lifting her chin up with my forefinger so that she would look at me. "I'm not going anywhere…" I'd stay forever if she had asked me to. I kissed her lips softly. "Unless you want me to."

"No, no. I'd like you to stay if you can," She leaned in to kiss me. "It's been too long, and I've missed you." We laid back down and Sabrina placed her head in the crook. How I've missed that. I love how her hair tickles my jaw line. I love how I can feel her breath on my skin. I love how her skin feels on mine as her arm is draped across my chest with her hand resting on my opposite shoulder, her breasts touching my chest. I love how our legs are intertwined. Nothing beats being this close to Sabrina.

"I usually would get up and study or something, but since you're here, I'm going to stay all blissed out in bed." She kissed my neck sending shivers down my body. I held her tighter.

"Why would you get up at one in the morning to study normally?"

She yawned as she answered, "Because I can't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time anymore. I want to, but I just can't," she shrugged.

"Since when?" I asked already knowing the answer and feeling extremely guilty about it.

"Since just recently. Don't worry about it, Ry," she yawned again. "Doesn't…matter." She was starting to drift off again. Good. Now I know she definitely needs the rest.

I kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, Sabrina. Love you," I murmured into her hair.

**EPoV**

I waited for Sabrina outside of the Biology building. I had stopped for coffee and picked up a cup for her as well. Funny how well the guy working there knows Sabrina. He asked if the second cup was for her since we're usually in there together before class. I told him yes, and he went ahead and put in a couple extra shots of espresso in her black coffee leaving room at the top. I went ahead and put in the half and half and two Splendas. It's weird how well I know her too.

I finally saw her crossing the lawn. Was there an actual bounce in her step? She's looking exceptionally cheerful despite the Cubs losing last night. Usually she's in a foul mood for a couple days after big losses.

"Morning Edward. Is that for me?" I held out the cup for her. She took a whiff of the coffee before taking a sip. "Mmm. Thanks." I stared at her a little longer. There was something different…

"Here. The guy at the coffee shop said to give you this. On the house. He thought you'd like it." I handed her the little bag.

"Ooo, banana bread. Dean was working?" I nodded. "He's so nice."

"I think he likes you, Sabrina."

"Of course he does, Edward. He's my friend."

"No, I mean romantically. Why else would you get free shots of espresso and baked goods?" She handed me half of her banana bread. "Thanks," I said taking a bite. Wow, it was really good.

Sabrina started to laugh. "He's given you free stuff before too, Edward. But that was before he got with his current boyfriend. I swear, Cullen, you have zero gay-dar."

"Dean's gay?" I asked incredulously.

"Uh, yah. He had a crush on you last year. You really are oblivious." She rolled her eyes.

"So why do _you_ get free stuff then?"

"Because, I gave him a painting for his boyfriend's birthday. Dean wanted to pay me, but I didn't know what to charge so I just gave it to him because he really liked it. Anyhoo, he said he'd hook me up phat whenever I went into the coffee shop." She was smiling still as we were walking towards class. I haven't seen her smile like that in a while. Yes, something was different.

"Sorry about the Cubs, Sabrina."

She scowled. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "Stupid Cubs," she mumbled under her breath. At least that was a normal reaction. If she had shrugged off the loss I would have bet that she was on drugs or something.

She acted normally all through class; diligently taking notes only she could read. I guess it's just a stereotype that girls have neater penmanship than guys because it sure wasn't true if you go by Bella and Sabrina's writing, or chicken scratch rather. I shook my head as I tried to decipher some of her notes. Illegible.

"What?" she asked me after lecture was over. I shrugged. "What's that say?" I pointed to the middle of her notebook page.

"_Ethnobotany__ is the study of the relationships between plants and people_," she answered matter-of-factly.

I shook my head. "I don't see that. I just see scribbles."

"Shut up, Edward. Not everyone can have pretty, pansy-ass writing like you do. Don't judge my scrawl. Last time I checked we're both getting A's are we not?"

"True story." I let it go. "So I'll meet you in the quad before botany lab?" I had an hour and a half to kill before our next class together whereas Sabrina had another lecture class to attend.

Sabrina made a face. "Yeah, I can't wait for this semester to be over. I hate physics with a passion."

I just laughed. I don't blame her. Her course load is pretty heavy. "Suck it up, Kingston," I teased.

Sabrina gave me the F-you gesture from _Friends_ and we both laughed. "Hey, before I forget. Come over tonight for the Cubs game. Emmett and Jasper will be over as well. We'll order pizza."

She nodded. "Okay. But if Zambrano gets rocked in the first few innings I'm leaving. I won't be able to stomach it."

"Fair enough…Um, should I invite Rylan?" I ventured.

Sabrina shrugged, "It's your house." She tried to play it off, but I detected a hint of a smile.

"Sabrina," I said sternly, "Is there something you're not telling me?" She merely shrugged again. "Hey, Bella told me that you walked in on him kissing Gwen yesterday."

"That's correct," she stated. I looked at her expectantly. "It was a misunderstanding. She jumped him like Tanya did you at the club for your birthday." I made a face at the memory.

"So did you two clear some things up?" I asked. I was a little excited for them to somehow get back together. They make a really good couple. Plus, I guess I still have that man-crush thing going on, as do Emmett and Jasper. The _I heart Rylan Club_ t-shirts really weren't that far off.

Sabrina looked at the imaginary watch on her wrist. "Oh, man. I have to get to physics lecture. Don't want to be late. I'll see you in an hour or so, Edward. Bye." She grinned and gave me a playful shove as she walked off to the Physics building.

Unbelievable. I guess I can grill her later, or Bella can. I decided to go to the student union to burn some time studying a bit for the MCAT. I was there about forty-five minutes when Rylan came by. He seemed exceptionally happy today as well. Something was definitely up. I invited him over later for the baseball game, and he got even more excited.

"Will Sabrina be over?" I nodded. "Then you know I'll be there," he grinned.

I thought since he was in such a good mood I'd ask him about yesterday. "So what happened after Sabrina left my house yesterday?"

"She didn't tell you?" Rylan asked. I shook my head. "Oh, well, we…worked some stuff out I guess." He looked thoughtful. "I'll let her explain." There. There was another hint of a smile. Those two were up to something, and I couldn't be happier for them.

That evening before anyone came over, I asked Bella, "Hey, how do you know if someone's had sex?" I smiled at her.

Her brow was furrowed. She was a little confused, "I don't know. How do you know if someone's had sex?" she smirked waiting for a punch line, I imagine.

I sighed, "It's not a joke, Bella. It was a legitimate question, love."

"Oh, I don't think you can just _tell_. Why? Who are you talking about?"

Before I could answer, Emmett and Rosalie barged in.

"Who's who talking about?" Emmett asked as he was helping Rosalie to the sofa. She was barely showing, but it was heartwarming to see my big oaf of a brother taking care of his pregnant wife. Once Rosalie was comfortable, Emmett came over to give Bella a big bear hug causing my Bella to laugh and gasp for air simultaneously.

"Edward has a question," Bella informed them.

"How do you know if someone's had sex?" I asked.

"If you're not sure if you've had sex, something is terribly wrong, little bro!" Emmett slapped my back laughing. I rolled my eyes.

"What's so funny?" Alice asked as she came through the door. Geez, doesn't anyone knock anymore? Oh, I guess I left the door ajar.

Bella started asking the question this time. "Edward wants to know how you know if someone's had…"

Before Bella could even finish the question, Sabrina walked in. Alice, Rosalie and Bella took one glance at her and someone screamed, "Ohmygod,Sabrinayoutotallyhadsex!" I couldn't determine where the high pitched, excited voice came from though.

Sabrina had walked in, heard the statement about sex and then abruptly walked back out, with a shade of crimson flushing her face that I've only seen on Bella. Alice ran out the door to retrieve Sabrina since Bella was disabled from being in hysterics and Rosalie was too slow due to being in a family way. But Alice was barely out the door before a very embarrassed Sabrina came back in followed by a grinning Rylan.

"Oh, my god!" the girls all yelled at the same time. I knew it!

"What'd I miss?" Rylan asked.

"What's going on?" Alice demanded.

"Hey, Rylan!" Emmett greeted him. "Long time no see!"

Rylan came in to shake Jasper and Emmett's hands. He waved to the girls while Sabrina stood looking sheepish by the door.

"Sabrina?" Alice prompted with her hand on her hip.

Sabrina shrugged innocently as all eyes were on her, "What?" Alice gave her the stink eye. "We're friends again," she smiled feigning nonchalance.

"Oh, come on!" Rosalie bellowed. "Sell it somewhere else, sister, 'cause we're not buying it!"

"Yeah!" Alice, Bella, and Emmett all concurred.

I looked at Rylan. He was highly amused by this expose. He was biting his lip to keep from totally losing it.

Sabrina marched into the house. "See, Rylan. I told you they'd see right through that _friendship_ BS." Rylan held his arms out for her. He spun her around and held Sabrina with her back to his chest so she was facing the rest of us. "Fine. Guys, this is Rylan, my concubine," she said with a straight face.

"Nice!" Rosalie, Alice and Bella seemed impressed with the statement. Rylan was shaking his head in disbelief. I wonder if he was embarrassed by being called a concubine?

We all went into the living room to sit down. Alice asked what was really going on.

Rylan answered, "We decided to be friends," he said still grinning. That grin can only mean one thing.

"Aww, yeah. You mean the best kind of _friends_, right?" Emmett asked wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Sabrina threw a pillow at him. "I'll take that as a _yes_, Snappy." He grinned devilishly at her.

"Shut up, Emmett."

"But what about your mom?" Bella asked Rylan. All of our ears perked up for his response.

"Well…Sabrina reasoned that we should stick to the _just friends_ scenario when it comes to my mom."

We were silent for a moment but nodded in understanding. I guess this was the best resolution for now. I don't know how I'd react if someone were to pretty much condemn me from my Bella. I'm grateful our parents all know and love each other and us. Poor Sabrina. I couldn't help but feel for her. We've all known her for so long now, it was hard to believe Dr. Jamison didn't like her enough to keep her from Rylan. It just wasn't right.

Bella and I have discussed it extensively. It would be hard enough to defy our parents' wishes if they didn't like our significant other, but it would be impossible to do if you factored in a sick sibling. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Dr. Jamison was completely hitting below the belt.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Rylan," Jasper commented. We all smiled and nodded, as did Rylan.

"Thanks. I missed hanging out with you guys. I missed Sabrina the most though," he squeezed Sabrina to his chest and kissed the top of her head, as she was situated on the sofa between his legs. Sabrina blushed and smiled. I've never seen her this embarrassed ever. It was mildly entertaining.

Rose, Alice and Bella thought it was sweet as they "awwwed" at Rylan's affection towards Sabrina.

"So what's the deal with the _concubine _label?" I asked.

Rylan and Sabrina laughed. "I wasn't sure how to tell you guys about our…relationship. I was going to tell you that Rylan's my sex slave, and that our relationship is purely sexual. You would have bought that, right?"

"It's a better story than the _just friends_ crap," Rosalie remarked.

"Sex slave, huh? That's a good gig, Rylan," Emmett commented. "I'd do that."

"Eww, Emmett!" Sabrina was grossed out, as were the rest of us. Rosalie smacked Emmett in the back of his head.

"I meant for Rosie! Geez, who did you think I meant?" Emmett asked, clearly taken aback by our reactions. I guess everyone was too ashamed to admit they thought the worst of Emmett so we all stayed mum.

"Hey, how come you girls knew right away about Sabrina? I've been trying to figure it out all day. There was something different about you today, but I just couldn't put my finger on it."

"I bet Rylan put his finger on it," Emmett snickered.

"Shut up, Emmett," Sabrina yelled. Rosalie was just shaking her head in shame of her husband.

"Classy, Emmett," Jasper admonished.

"What? I know for a fact that you are all freaky deaky too, so don't judge me for speaking my mind," Emmett defended himself.

"Wait. What do you mean you _know for a fact_?" Bella asked confused. Uh-oh. I do not like where this conversation is headed. At this rate, Sabrina will not be the only one embarrassed.

"Oh, Bells, has my little bro not told you about his _Return of the Jedi_ fantasy?" Damn Emmett! Damn him! Bella turned to look at me with heat filling her face and wide eyes. I smiled weakly at her.

Jaws around the room dropped as I was now shaking my head in disbelief. I was trying to think of something to embarrass Emmett with, but I was coming up empty. How do you embarrass someone who has no shame?

Emmett was chuckling. "Hey, I don't blame you, man. Princess Leigh looked _hot_ in that costume. Did you find one for Bella yet?"

"Edward!" Sabrina scolded. "You have sex fantasies?" The girls, including my Bella, now dubbed Bella the Traitor, were snickering.

I was a little insulted. Did they think me a prude? I mean come on, what guy _hasn't_ had a _Return of the Jedi_ sex fantasy?

"I _am_ capable of having an improper and raunchy thought occasionally," I retorted.

"Noooooo!" Sabrina covered her ears. "Edward, never say _raunchy _ever again! Oh, god, I think my ears are bleeding!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as everyone was in a fit of laughter except for me. My so-called fiancé finally noticed (finally!) and decided to take the heat off of me.

"Alice and Jasper have done it in a public!" Bella blurted out and then quickly winced waiting for everyone's reactions.

"_What_?" Oh, god. I really don't want to think about my sister doing anything like that (shudder).

"Oh my god, where?" Sabrina asked.

"And how come we don't know about it?" Rosalie asked gesturing to her and Sabrina.

Now I covered my ears, "Noooo! Now _my_ ears are bleeding!" I yelled.

Rosalie looked at Alice severely, "Later then." Alice nodded. I shuddered again. I think I threw up a little in my mouth.

Alice narrowed her eyes playfully at Bella. Uh-oh. Payback was coming. "Bella likes to hear dirty talk!" She grinned evilly.

"_Really?"_ I asked. That was a surprise.

Bella turned bright red. "So does Sabrina!" Bella yelled. She looked at Sabrina, who's jaw dropped again. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me!"

And just as Emmett was opening his mouth to comment, Sabrina and Bella screamed, "Shut up, Emmett!"

Rylan was giving Sabrina the same curious look I was giving Bella. Talking dirty, huh?

"What?" Sabrina asked. Rose and Alice were smirking at her. "Oh, admit it. We're all a bunch of horn balls. You all like to hear a little dirty talk too. And if you say you don't, then you're lying."

No one said anything. It was a true statement. It's not something I was willing to admit to, but now that the subject has been brought up…

"I've got an idea," Emmett said.

"No!" Everyone responded.

"No, wait. I want to hear everyone's dirtiest line."

"Oh my god, no, Emmett. Might I remind you that your brother and sister are in this room? No one wants to think of their sibling like that, you perve!" Sabrina chastised.

But I actually did want to hear Bella's. I had an idea to get rid of everyone. It might just work. "So how about you just whisper it to your significant other. No one else has to hear it," I suggested. I looked around the room. It seemed to be a good compromise. "Girls first?" I grinned at the fellas. They all smiled and nodded in assent.

Bella and I watched as Alice and Rosalie both whispered something into the ears of their respective men. Jasper and Emmett's eyes widened in surprise and excitement at what they were hearing. When they were done whispering, the girls smiled smugly as the guys got up, a bit uncomfortably, and pulled on the girl's hands.

"We'll just be going now," Jasper said as he and Alice left in a hurry.

"Whoa, Rosie. That was _hot!_" Emmett commented. "See you guys. Have some good sex tonight, everyone!" And they were out the door.

So Bella and I were left staring at Sabrina and Rylan. Sabrina rolled her eyes. "We'll just go too. If you wanted us out, you should have just kicked us out, Edward." she smirked. Bella, Rylan and I were still looking at her expectantly. "Oh, fine!" Finally, she leaned in to whisper in Rylan's ear. It must not have been a very long statement because he grinned and they got up to leave immediately leaving me alone with my Bella.

I just stared at her. She was blushing.

"So you like dirty talk, love?" I smiled at her. Bella buried her face in my shoulder.

"If you listened, Edward. Alice said that I like to _hear_ it not say it myself," she pointed out. So _you_ have to talk dirty to _me_."

I nodded. This is true. "Well, maybe we can work something out then."

**A/N So I wanted to get the gang together for some antics. Let me know what you think and review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and would most likely cringe if she knew how I'm desecrating her characters. I do own Sabrina and Rylan though. Anyhoo, I guess I painted myself into a corner last chapter with the dirty talk so this is the result. This chapter got ridiculously out of hand, and I apologize if this offends anyone. Obviously, this is a LEMON ALERT! If you no likey the lemons, then no read-y this chappie. Kapeesh? Sheesh, even my laptop is blushing. I've never written anything like this before so please keep that in mind. Okay, enough. No more beating around the bush (figuratively speaking). Here's chapter 32 AKA Sexcapades haha. Enjoy?!**

**Chapter 32**

**Jasper PoV**

So Edward came up with a compromise and told the girls to whisper something dirty into our ears. This should be interesting. Sabrina brought up a good point. I think everyone does want to hear a little dirty talk. If I was being honest, I think it'd be so hot if Alice were to do some of that. I was getting excited just anticipating it.

Alice leaned in towards my ear and covered her mouth with her hand as she whispered, "I'm so hot...I'm already dripping wet for you...I need to feel you inside of me." Wow!

My eyes grew wide as my pants were getting tighter. I immediately stood up, despite the snugness in the crotch area, and tugged on Alice's hand. She knew her effect on me. She smiled smugly.

"We'll just be going now," I informed the others. And Alice and I were out the door.

Once we got in the car Alice's hands were all over me. It seems she was just as turned on as I was. I'm happy I wasn't the only horny one here.

I started to drive, trying to concentrate on the road rather than the vixen giving me a hand job. "Oh, god, Alice." She was laughing like the evil little pixie she is. "This is so not fair..." I trailed off only to be surprised a moment later.

Alice was no longer sitting in the passenger's seat but crouched on it as she lowered her mouth to my lap. "Oh, god!" she was sucking and bobbing and pumping like she's never done before.

"Finish in my mouth, Jazz! I want to taste you!" Holy crap. That sent me over the edge as I shivered and came. Alice drank all of me; smacking her lips when she was done and giving the tip of my shaft one last suckle to get the last drop. I finally parked the car at home. We were lucky I didn't drive off the side of the road. Ahh, road head. I sighed content. Now to return the favor…

**Emmett PoV**

I can't believe my little bro wants the girls to whisper something dirty to us guys. This was almost as good as my idea to have them speak their dirtiness out loud. But I guess Sabrina had a point. I don't want to hear my little sister talking dirty. That's definitely not a turn on. And I doubt that Jasper wants to hear just how sexy and vulgar Rosie can be.

Man, I couldn't wait for what Rosie was going to say. Our sex life is already spicy, and lord knows Rosie never disappoints. And now that she's pregnant, she's hornier than usual. Must be the hormones. God bless the hormones!

She finally leaned in to me and covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "I'm going to tie you up and make you scream out my name, bitch."

"Whoa, Rosie. That was _hot!_" Honestly, it really doesn't take much to get me going. She could have just said, _Emmett let's go._ "See you guys. Have some good sex tonight, everyone!" And we were off like a new bride's panties, like Rosie's panties actually.

When we got home and into the bedroom, she threw me against the wall kissing me hard while tousling my hair. She unzipped my pants and pulled down my boxers only to begin stroking me.

"Rosie," I moaned.

"Shut up. Bring in a chair from the dining room and sit down," she commanded. I happily complied. What my Rosie wants, my Rosie gets. I hustled to the dining room, grabbed a chair and double-timed it back to the bedroom. I couldn't help but grin about what was to come.

Rosie had a few silk scarves. She really tied my hands to the chair and then tied a scarf around my head, blindfolding me. God, my wife is smoking hot.

I felt her straddle me then she lowered herself onto me. She kept a firm hold on the sides of my face as she crushed her mouth against mine. Our tongues fought for dominance as she rode me. As we were both near coming Rosie removed the blindfold so she could look in my eyes.

"Hold still, Emmett," she ordered. Rosie closed her eyes as she moaned while she climaxed. She looks so sexy when she's having an orgasm. Her eyes fluttered open staring me down. "What's my name?" she demanded, still manhandling my face while moving her body up and down my shaft.

"Oh, god, Rosie!" I screamed as I came inside her.

She smirked in satisfaction. "And don't forget it, bitch!"

**Rylan PoV**

I can't believe Sabrina likes to hear dirty talk. And I _really _can't believe she was going to give me an example of it. We watched as Alice and Rosalie whispered in Jasper and Emmett's ears respectively. I was mildly curious about what they said to their men, but I was more excited just anticipating what Sabrina was going to come up with.

Jasper and Alice quickly left, followed by Emmett and Rosalie. They high-tailed it out of there no doubt ready for some action, leaving Bella and Sabrina to talk dirty to Edward and me still.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "We'll just go too. If you wanted us out, you should have just kicked us out, Edward." she smirked.

_Uh-uh_, I thought. I wanted to hear some dirty talk, but I suppose if she didn't feel like it, I'd respect that. We three were still looking at her expectantly though. I had my eyebrows raised silently begging her to whisper something to me.

"Oh, fine!" Finally, she leaned very close in to my ear covering her mouth with her hand. Aww yeah, here we go. I was already starting to get hard as she moved towards me.

"Don't say a word. Grin like I said something really hot, and let's get out of here so you can tap this ass."

Vintage Sabrina. That definitely made me grin. So we left quickly.

As soon as we got into my house, I turned to close and lock the door. By the time I turned back around, Sabrina was gone. Hmm. She had kicked off her ballet flats in the living room so I picked them up.

"Sabrina?" I called as I walked towards my bedroom. She hadn't turned on any lights so I turned on the one in the hallway. Sabrina left a trail of clothing along the way. I picked up her hoodie and then her tank top. I kept following the strewn clothing. I swallowed hard when I picked up her bra. I brought it up to my nose and took a whiff. I swear that cherry blossom scent will never get old for me.

I became more aroused with every article of clothing I retrieved. I picked up her jeans and then finally, her underwear. They were black with pink lace that matched the bra that she had discarded in the hall. I sniffed her panties and reveled in her feminine scent. I notice that the crotch of her underwear had a wet spot. Oh my god, she was already wet for me.

I was pretty much ready to go by the time I reached the bedroom.

The hallway light illuminated my bedroom just enough for me to see the outline of her perfect little figure. It wasn't fair for her body to be so fine. The comforter and sheets were tousled already and she was perched seductively on the bed, kneeling with her legs spread giving me a very sexy view of her as I approached.

She tilted her head as he asked sternly, "Why are your clothes still on?" I swallowed again dropping all of her clothing that I had picked up. I didn't have a good answer. I started to pull my shirt over my head but Sabrina stopped me.

"No. _I_ will take your clothes off for you." I began to smile as she continued, "_But_ you have to earn it." My lord, this woman is sexy.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked her, my eyes boring into hers, daring her to look away from me as she usually does when I do this. Sabrina stayed strong.

"It's all about reciprocity. Quid pro quo. You do something for me, and I do something for you." I nodded in understanding. This sounds like a fun little game. She gestured me over to her using her pointer finger.

A beautiful woman, who happened to be naked, beckoned me over to her. My brain was turning to mush. I was putty in her hands.

We were eye level since she was kneeling on the bed. "First, kiss me here." She pointed to her mouth. I leaned in and kissed her hungrily. Our mouths moved together ferociously. Sabrina suckled my tongue briefly once her mouth got a hold of it. She was hiking the hem of my shirt up and then completely removed it, throwing it on the floor.

"Now touch me…here." She cupped her breasts, massaging herself.

I leaned in to kiss her mouth again while I took over the massaging of her two perfect mounds. I broke the kiss just for a moment so I could lick my fingertips, which I used to pinch and roll her erect nipples. I couldn't help but smile when I got a small moan out of Sabrina.

She moved her hands down to the top of my jeans and undid the button and zipper. She pushed them down a little and allowed gravity to do the rest. Sabrina stroked me through my boxer briefs. She went ahead and removed those as well without me having to do anything for her...yet. She placed a kiss on the tip of my shaft as she pushed my underwear down.

"Lay down," she commanded. I did as I was told. Sabrina grazed her breasts against my body as she straddled my legs and crawled her way up to my face kissing, licking and sucking on the way. She positioned my shaft in the valley between her breasts as she did this. There was no way it could get better than this. Oh, but I thought too soon.

When her mouth met mine again, I kissed her greedily. I wanted to keep kissing her, but she kept inching her body up to a kneeling position; her crotch was hovered over my face as she grabbed the headboard. "One more kiss," she directed. I smiled. This was extremely hot.

I cupped her butt cheeks, holding her in place as I gingerly licked her wet folds before darting my tongue in and out as she bucked her hips against my mouth. I flicked her clit with the tip of my tongue and then sucked on it, causing Sabrina to shiver slightly and moan my name. How I loved to hear her moan my name.

I knew she was close to climaxing so I wanted to keep going, but Sabrina stopped me. She did the reverse crawl back down my body. Her mouth was next to my ear and she whispered, "I don't want to come yet. Take me. Any way you want and finish inside me," She commanded crashing her mouth onto mine and tasting herself on my lips and tongue.

I sat up slowly never breaking the kiss. Sabrina sat up with me. Her hands were groping my chest. She even pinched my nipples. My god that felt good. I was trying to decide which position to move into next. I wanted to take her doggy style, but I really wanted to see her beautiful face when she climaxed so I scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom. I put her down facing the mirror and against the sink. She automatically bent over so I could enter. I reached around to cup her breasts as I kissed her neck and shoulders.

Sabrina had her hands on herself rubbing her clit while I was thrusting against her from behind. And so I did, as a sex slave should. I am her concubine after all.

It was highly erotic to watch ourselves in the mirror and listening to Sabrina gasp and moan my name in ecstasy as we both finally came.

**EPoV**

Well, that worked like a charm. I must admit, I was really disturbed about being in the same room as my siblings as they were either doing or receiving the dirty talk, but I just concentrated on Bella and how sexy it would be to hear her say something naughty to me, but she seemed embarrassed by it. This was new ground for us, but I was more than willing to give it a try.

I leaned away from her just enough so I could look at her. I cupped her chin to raise her face to meet my gaze. "Love, you don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. It's enough just being together." She gave me a shy smile to thank me. It was true. Yes, I'd love to hear something tawdry from Bella's mouth, but I didn't want her to feel like she had to. Besides, she wanted to be on the receiving end of the dirty talk.

I leaned in to kiss her. It began softly but soon turned more intense as we both melted into each other. All that sex talk was definitely getting me in the mood, and apparently it affected Bella as well. As soon as the kissing deepened her hands were pulling up the hem of my t-shirt. She was clawing the skin on my back as I pressed my body closer to hers. Oh, god, her nails raking across my back was so erotic.

Bella had to pull her lips away from mine to get some much-needed air. I continued to lick and kiss her neck and her earlobe. I stuck my tongue in her ear lightly before whispering, "Bella, I want you so bad right now, I want to tear off your clothes."

I heard a small gasp escape from Bella so I could tell she liked hearing that. I had to smile at the reaction I got from her. I pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. I gave her a slightly crooked smile as I drank in her beautiful body. Her skin was so creamy white and soft. The black lace bra she was wearing complimented her light skin perfectly.

"You're exquisite." I caressed her torso slowly with one hand from her hip up to her collarbone while my other hand was holding her at the small of her back. I scooped her up quickly and carried her into the bedroom kissing her the entire way.

I gently placed Bella on the bed as I hovered above her. I crushed my mouth onto hers and our tongues were soon tangled together. She again was pulling up my shirt but this time I sat up and removed it myself tossing it to the floor while Bella's hands were busy groping my chest and stomach before lingering at the top of my jeans. I was on my knees straddling her expecting her to undo my pants. She had them undone but didn't pull them down. Instead, she was still caressing my skin.

Then Bella did something I wasn't expecting. She looked up at me smirking. She had a playful glint in her eyes.

"Strip for me, Edward." I froze for a split second staring at her. I returned her dirty little smirk and did as Bella commanded. I got up from the bed, my eyes never leaving hers, and removed my jeans. Then I slowly lowered my boxer briefs revealing my obvious arousal to her.

Bella also got up from the bed and began to circle me trailing her fingertips along my skin seductively, leaving goose bumps in their wake. She stopped right in front of me after having walked a full circle around me. Bella continued to tease me as she stroked my shaft with her hand followed by her tongue. I closed my eyes as she sucked on the tip for two painfully erotic seconds before stepping away. "Oh, Bella," I moaned. I didn't want her to stop, but I knew this little game was going to continue, and that really excited me. "What do you want me to do now, love?" I asked ready to please her.

"Now make good on what you said earlier and tear off the rest of my clothes." The tone of her voice was such a turn on. She sounded so confident and dominating, I could barely contain my enthusiasm.

I stepped closer to Bella and kissed her fiercely as I quickly unclasped her bra. I let the straps fall off of her perfect shoulders before groping her lovely breasts, removing the bra at the same time. I trailed my hot mouth down her neck to her collarbone licking between her breasts first before taking one in my mouth while shimmying her pants off. I picked her up to completely remove her from the pants on the floor. I switched breasts as I cupped her butt cheeks before actually ripping her black lace panties off. Whoa! That was hot.

Once the sexy but hindering material was off, my mouth made its way back up to hers briefly and then moving on to her ear again as I lightly and teasingly touched her wet folds with my fingertips whispering, "Now what, love?"

She moaned softly at my touch before giving her next command. "Now get on the bed so I can be on top."

I did as she told me, my eyes still never leaving her as I watched her walk to the dresser and pull something out of her lingerie drawer. How I love that drawer and the goodies it held. I smiled as I registered what she had in her hands. It was a sleeping mask, a blindfold, I surmised, for me. She came back to the bed and straddled me while strapping the mask in place over my eyes.

I can't even describe how erotic it was to feel her on me but not be able to see her. I let my imagination take over then. Bella's hands pinned mine to the pillow as she trailed her tongue over my lips. I tried to capture it in my mouth but she moved her tongue away trailing it up my jaw line to my ear. Meanwhile, she was grazing her breasts over my chest. I wanted to grab them, but my hands were still pinned down. "Bella," I moaned wanting to touch or kiss her somehow but was frustrated because I couldn't.

"Shh. I want you to kiss me," she whispered. Bella then grazed her breasts up my chest towards my mouth. When I felt her hard nipple against my lips, I greedily opened my mouth. I licked it first before lightly sucking on it. I softly nipped at it with my teeth eliciting a gasp from Bella. To my dismay she lifted her torso up taking her breast away from my hungry mouth but then replaced it with the other. She teased me with it at first, bringing her erect nipple to my open and ready mouth before taking it away again all the while positioning herself at the head of my shaft allowing me to penetrate minutely before moving away.

Oh, this woman was good. She knew exactly what she was doing to get me more and more desperate for her. "Bella, please," I cried. I wanted so much to be inside of her.

She was having none of it. Bella shushed me again and whispered, "You're not done kissing me yet, Edward. Do you want me to kiss you?"

"Oh god, yeah," I nodded fervently. I felt her smile against my cheek. I felt her shifting positions on the bed though she was still straddling me. Then I felt the ends of her long hair grazing along my stomach and upper thigh. Just when I thought it couldn't get any sexier than Bella teasing my with her body, I felt her warm mouth on the tip of my shaft. She suckled there a moment before taking as much of it in her mouth as she could pumping what was left with one hand while groping the skin between my legs with her other hand. She was doing all this as she lowered her dripping wet folds to my mouth. I nearly lost my mind. Here we were in a sixty-nine. Bella continued pumping me with her mouth and hands while I was pleasuring her with my tongue and groping any inch of her skin that I could touch now that my hands were finally free.

I couldn't take not seeing her anymore so I ripped off the blindfold. I nearly came from the sight of Bella before me. I wanted to see her beautiful face though. "Bella," I moaned between licks. "I need to be inside of you. Please."

She stopped what she was doing and repositioned herself facing me. "Sit up," she commanded again. I again did as I was told; my back was against the headboard. Bella straddled me again and lowered herself onto me and soon rocked up and down as she rode me. Bella's head was tilted back, eyes closed in ecstasy, and her hands were tangled in my hair while I massaged her breasts. I have never seen her sexier. "Oh, god, Edward," she moaned, "Oh, god. Right there, Edward. Right there. Oh, god," She panted. "I'm coming!"

Bella shivered then came. She slowed her rocking down. I switched positions so we were lying down, and I was hovering above my Bella. I started thrusting as she bucked her hips against me. My mouth was next to her ear as I whispered, "God, I love you, Bella. I need to finish inside of you."

She nodded her assent before adding, "Give it to me, Edward. Harder. Oh, yeah. Harder." She winced in pleasure as I continued to thrust. I closed my mouth over hers, kissing her deeply as I gave her a final push before finally coming.

We lay there exhausted and sweaty for a few minutes before Bella spoke. "Wow! Now that was hot!"

"Truer words have never been spoken, love," I smiled.

Bella laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"Edward, you're so funny. We just had some really hot sex and then you speak a line out of a poem. It was just really amusing."

"Well," I mused. "You bring out the animal and the gentleman in me…" I kissed the top of her head. "Which do you prefer?"

"In bed? Definitely the animal," she remarked with confidence.

"Good to know," I commented. "And your domination was beyond sexy, love. You're a natural." Bella blushed. "Uh-uh. No way you're getting embarrassed over it, Bella." I pulled her closer kissing her petal soft lips. "That was incredibly erotic. I should have gotten rid of everyone sooner."

"You like being bossed around a little?" she giggled.

"By you in the bedroom? Absolutely!"

"Good because that was really fun. I can't wait to do that again…" Bella was stroking me again. "Ready for another round, Edward?"

Bella grinned. She knew my answer was yes without my having to even answer verbally. My body did the talking for me. This was going to be quite a pleasurable evening.

**A/N And really, who wouldn't want Edward, the animal, in the bedroom? So...what'd ya think? Cold shower anyone? Maybe a cigarette? (haha I don't even smoke). If this doesn't get non-reviewers to review, I don't know what will. Holla!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N I don't own Twilight, Steph Meyer does though. So, that last chapter was fun right? Maybe a little? Oh well. As Spritegirl said, a little smut never hurt anyone. I really liked writing from Emmett's PoV. He amuses me the most. Who knew our girls were such freaks right? The road head thing was based off of a friend of mine (please don't judge me by the company I keep). Her boyfriend ran into a deer while she was, uh, you know. She wouldn't tell me how it happened or the details about which direction the deer darted out so I became suspicious. I finally dragged it out of her. My comment to her? _Classy_. It's just a funny story now.**

**Anyhoo, here's chapter 33: sorry, no smut here. Will you continue to read this story anyway? Don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 33**

**Sabria PoV**

God, what was I doing to myself? How did I allow this to happen? First carrying on a secret relationship with Rylan, well secret from his mom anyway, and then faking being all right with not being able to do things that couples did together, namely being seen in public like at the hospital benefit dinner earlier in the month, and now this.

I rested my forehead on my arms, which I'd placed on my knees, wondering how long I'd been sitting in Rylan's stupid closet and how much longer his mother would be staying. I was trying my hardest not to get pissed, but pissed I was. I was pissed at myself. And if I were being honest, I was pissed at Rylan too.

I felt like a cheap prostitute, a whore. Very cheap. At least prostitutes got paid. And all I was getting was heartache.

That wasn't entirely true. I was happy when Rylan and I were together at his place or mine. We'd even hang out with Bella and Edward and the others occasionally, and that was always fun. I'd felt like we were a real couple then. But then times like this, when his mom would suddenly pop in and I'd have to hide and not be seen. Or Rylan would attend public functions, black tie events for the hospital where he'd have to go without me. Because I wasn't really with him. I couldn't be acknowledged. I didn't exist in his world. I was…nothing.

Sitting on the floor inside his closet, I was nothing. I was insignificant. I'd never felt so little in my life.

But I had chosen this. I didn't want the fancy title of girlfriend. All I wanted was to be with Rylan. I loved him. I truly did. And I believed that he loved me. He treated me wonderfully, and he genuinely seemed sad and felt guilty when he couldn't take me to the hospital benefit. He'd told me that he wanted to take me, to show me off or whatever, but we both knew Nora wouldn't have approved and she would have made his life miserable if she had known I was back in his life, especially in this capacity. He wouldn't have gotten to spend time with Layla.

Now Rylan had what he wanted. He was able to go into his mother's home and hang out with his sister. He got to come back and sleep with me.

I had Rylan back in my life again but at the cost of my dignity and self-esteem. I had to pretend like I was unaffected by the hiding and the secrecy. I was fine with it at first, since it was my idea to begin with, but lately it was getting harder to stomach though. I didn't want to lose myself anymore than I felt I had already. I needed a change in my life.

Finally, I'd heard his front door close and then the sound of his footfalls as Rylan approached his bedroom.

"Ready to come out of the closet?" he joked. I knew it was a joke, but as a result of my heavy contemplation in the closet combined with my new resolution to change my circumstances and factoring in the flippantness of his tone, I was ready to leave myself.

Rylan threw the closet door open and offered me his hand.

"Ha ha," I retorted, playing along as he helped me up.

"Sorry you had to be in there, babe," Rylan told me as he placed a kiss atop my head.

"Yeah, well…" I said, drifting off. "Hey, will you drive me home?"

Rylan made a face. "Do you have to go now?" He looked disappointed. "I was hoping you could stay the night. We could watch some movies," he offered brightly, his hazle eyes twinkling with hope. It was the beginning of winter break and we had a month off from school. I could afford to relax for a bit, but I thought better of it.

"That sounds nice, but I have so much to do. There's nothing like quiet time in a closet that makes one compile, add to, and review a to do list. Plus, I just got a burst of inspiration and if I don't act on it now, I won't have anything to put on display at the Senior Art Show." That was true. Also, I had to rethink my game plan and schedule some interviews with some med schools.

"All right," Rylan conceded. He understood how important my art projects were to me.

Rylan drove me home and even went up to look at all my works in progress while I jumped right back into one of my paintings. He must have noted how intense and into it I was because the last thing I could remember was him patting my behind and giving me a quick kiss goodbye along with a wish of luck. He would occasionally stay and watch me work, but I was in a zone this time, and Rylan let me be.

And that had been the last I saw of him until after my trip to Chicago and then to the Silicon Valley in California. I had stayed holed up at my apartment until I left for the trip. I had been preparing for the interviews and then working on tweaking my art pieces. Edward and Bella didn't even know I was gone out of town. I kept my distance from everyone while I figured out what I wanted in my future. Only my parents and Edward's parents knew I was going on the interviews.

As far as my friends knew, I was looking strictly at schools in Chicago. Admittedly, I was leaning that way for quite a while, but as I did more research, I had decided to shoot the moon, which was Stanford. Yes, _that _Stanford. I didn't think I had any kind of chance. I mean my grades were really good, and I was pretty well rounded, but I was sure hundreds if not thousands of straight A, well rounded students applied to Stanford annually.

To my utter shock, they contacted me, and I had done phone interviews with a few professors and doctors in the department of medicine already. They finally wanted to meet me in person and interview me with a panel of admissions people. I was nervous, excited, and scared out of my mind. Somehow, I got through the interview, pretty well at that, might I add? I had built a rapport with a couple of my would-be advisors and even toured the children's hospital. Before I left, I tried to pump them for as much information as I could get regarding when their decision would be made, all but forcing them to give me an answer, which they did.

But then I had to break the news to everyone. My parents would be out of their minds excited for me, as would Esme and Carlisle. I knew Edward would be supportive. It was Rylan and Bella whom I was worried about telling. Bella would eventually be cool with it. I knew that, but initially, she'd be sad and worried for me to go off to California all alone.

And Rylan. We had carefully skirted the subject of med school for some time now. He knew about Chicago. I knew he didn't like the idea, but it wasn't as if he had been taking any strides in expressing his wanting me to stay here in Seattle. His mother disapproved of me and didn't know that we were even friends let alone…whatever the hell we were to each other. I still wondered what she found so repulsive about me anyway. Rylan never went into detail. I knew Nora believed me to be some gold digging whore. Did she still think that?

In any case, I wouldn't have stayed anyway. No way was I going to even apply to med school here when his evil mother was on the admissions board. Why would I humiliate myself and allow her to scrutinize me publicly? Hadn't she made my life hellish enough? No, I had to leave Seattle, even if it meant leaving Rylan behind.

**EPoV**

I couldn't believe how quickly the semester had flown by. Right after Sabrina and I took the MCAT life had been in fast forward as we awaited our med school responses. We had already celebrated Thanksgiving and now we're on Christmas break. Carlisle had said that the schools would most likely wait until the New Year to contact us about interviews and our statuses with them as far as our applications. But I'd already gotten my response from UW-Seattle. I was not sure about Sabrina's schools though. For now, we had about two weeks left until classes started back up.

Luckily, since we didn't have to worry about the MCAT anymore Sabrina and I could focus more on piano. I had given her a couple of lessons a week. It was almost like starting from scratch with her. She had practically forgotten how to read music. I knew she had the skill buried deep in her brain somewhere, she just hadn't used it in over ten years. The lessons in November were pretty much devoted to the fundamentals. Surprisingly, we didn't fight all that much. I think it was mostly because Bella was there to mediate or at the very least referee our lively lessons.

I knew Sabrina wasn't used to sucking (her word) at things so she got frustrated with the piano and me. She'd already threatened a handful of times to scrap the whole idea and hire someone to play the piano instead, but I'd been able to talk her down from the ledge each time. I always played the friendship card; it would mean so much to both Bella and me if Sabrina played the song. She'd usually call me evil and then concede. I even told her she wouldn't have to get us a wedding present, that her playing would be a gift in and of itself. She responded with, "I wasn't planning on getting you anything anyway." Always cracking wise, that one.

So far, the wedding plans were going well. Sabrina had been able to keep Alice somewhat in check. Better than anyone else could anyway. We were going to have the ceremony in my parents' backyard the first weekend in June. Esme was worried that the flowers wouldn't be in full bloom yet, but Alice assured her there were ways around Mother Nature. Bella was grateful she didn't have to do much in the way of planning, but as always, she didn't want too much money to be spent on it. Sabrina asked her if she had hit her head and forgotten who Alice Cullen was.

We all stayed in Seattle during the break and planned on going back to Forks on Christmas Eve. Bella and I wanted to spend the time together without classes getting in the way. I knew Sabrina was working on pieces for her art project. The art students were going to have a big exhibit for their senior projects and she would get to show about ten pieces. She'd pretty much turned her apartment into an art studio. She liked it better than the one at school; there were no rats in her apartment, and therefore, no chance for infestation. We hadn't seen or talked to her for the past five days so she must have been on a roll. She did text to tell us she was busy and not to worry though. We assumed she'd been holed up in her apartment working. When inspiration struck her, it's hard to pull her away from her projects.

I wasn't sure how the friends with benefits thing was working out for her and Rylan. She rarely stayed over at his place, and he'd told Bella and me earlier that he hadn't seen her over the past week or so either. Sabrina told him she was busy as well, and he assumed she was working on her final art collection so he gave her some space while he spent time with his family.

There was some tension between Rylan and her over her choices for medical school. Rylan really didn't like the idea of Sabrina going to school in Chicago. Rylan said that they decided not to make a big deal out of it until she heard from the schools. He'd expressed his displeasure over it to me, but he didn't want to nag Sabrina about it, not when they were getting along so well otherwise.

Bella and Alice weren't too thrilled about Chicago either, but they understood Sabrina's need to leave Seattle. They tried to talk to her about applying to other schools in the region. Sabrina said she'd look into it.

I applied to the medical school here, and I was quite confident I'd be accepted. They always looked at in state applicants first. Not only was I in state, I was also in house so Carlisle thought I was a shoe in. Since I already was in school here I'd already had my interview the first week in December. It was more than a little annoying that I had to interview to go to school here even though I already went to school here, but whatever. I had to jump through all of their hoops I guess.

Bella and I wouldn't have needed to move since she'd decided to stay in school straight through for her Master's degree in English and maybe education. We tried to talk Sabrina into applying to the med school here as well, but she wouldn't even consider it. The chances of her running into Dr. Jamison were too high. As it turned out, Dr. Jamison sat on the interview committee for applying med students so had Sabrina applied, she would have most likely had to interview with Dr. Jamison as well. To Nora's credit, she knew that Sabrina and I were good friends and didn't prejudge me because of it. She was actually very professional, though there were four other doctors and med school professors interviewing me at the same time so she wouldn't have been able to pull anything weird.

One night a couple weeks into the winter break Bella and I had gone out to dinner. We were hanging out in the bar waiting for a table to become available when Rylan happened to come in. He had apparently ordered some take out and was in to pick it up. He said he was taking it over to Sabrina's. That's when we all found out that no one had seen or talked to Sabrina for almost a week. She had called him earlier that evening to come over and bring food.

Rylan invited us over too since we hadn't seen Sabrina in a while. We were all very curious to see some of her work. So Rylan waited with us for our food since we had decided to put in an order for take out instead of dining in, and then we headed over to Sabrina's studio apartment. Aside from the past week when Sabrina was MIA, Rylan spent a lot of time over there. He had found out that Wes was technically Sabrina's landlord and didn't like it. Sabrina reassured him that there was nothing to worry about, but Rylan was still a bit suspicious of Wes.

So, evidently Wes' dad owned Sabrina's apartment building. He's into real estate and had a lot of rental property. Wes was following in his dad's footsteps. Sabrina teased Wes that he'd be the next Donald Trump only with better hair. She also refered to Wes as a slumlord. Anyway, Wes' dad had given him the building for his birthday. Bella and Sabrina just find that unfathomable, but that's what happened. This was shortly after Sabrina had moved in. Wes hadn't tried anything so I didn't think Rylan had anything to worry about. The cool thing about Wes as her landlord was that she could pretty much do whatever she wanted to the apartment, hence the mural on the wall and pretty much turning it into an art gallery slash workshop.

As we approached her door we could hear some piano playing. I grinned proudly. She was actually practicing. Not well, but practicing all the same. Actually, I shouldn't say that she wasn't playing well. She was improving immensely. We stood outside her door quietly so we could hear a little more piano playing. She was trying to play _Deck the Halls_. When she hit the wrong key she cussed. _Damn it, Sabrina. Come on! _She scolded herself. Sabrina must have banged her fists down on the keys out of frustration because she created the most horrendous sound I'd ever heard. We all made faces when we'd heard it. I quickly knocked on the door to get her attention so that she wouldn't take any more frustration out on the poor, innocent instrument.

Sabrina opened the door a moment later. She smiled as she saw Rylan and then smiled even wider when she saw Bella and me.

"Hey, this is a surprise. Come on in." She took a whiff of the air on the hallway. "Mmm, Chinese food!"

"Sabrina, long time no see!" Bella said as they hugged.

"I know. Sorry guys. I've been busy." She gave me a quick hug as well.

"Sabrina, I'm happy you're practicing, but please stop torturing the piano like that," I pleaded.

She wrinkled her nose. "You heard that?" I nodded. "Sorry. It's just that it's not playing the notes I want it to play," she argued.

I just shook my head, "I think it's a case of operator error."

She made a face at me, conceding, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

She waited to hug Rylan last. Bella and I looked away to give them a moment of privacy as they gazed into each other's eyes smiling all the while. I would have made fun of them if I didn't know for a fact that Bella and I did the exact same thing.

"Thanks for coming over and bringing food along with Bella and Edward, Ry," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "So how have you guys been?"

"We've been fine. We were wondering why you were missing in action though?" I asked as we set the food down on the table and taking seats on the bedazzled chairs.

"Oh, you know. I was preoccupied with my miscellaneous projects. I've been in a zone, you know?"

We got plates out and started eating. Sabrina took a bite of her noodles and got up to get some red pepper flakes to add to it.

"Not spicy enough for you, Sabrina? I ordered extra spicy," Rylan said.

"It's never spicy enough for her," Bella laughed. This was true. Sabrina ate the spiciest food of anyone I'd ever met.

"Remember how I grew up?" she asked. She'd told us about her mom's parents. They're from Thailand, and her grandmother always made spicy food. Chera grew up in a house where the motto was _Eat spicy or starve_. Chera opted not to starve and has passed the love of spice down to Sabrina. I swear she had intestines of steel. I would surely have had holes in my guts if I'd eaten like that.

So as we ate together, we were catching up on the past week. Rylan had been with his family a lot. So far, Layla's heart condition was still somewhat mild. Layla had a congenital heart condition where there was something wrong with her aortic valve. She could stay active, she was not bedridden or anything, but the condition would never get better, but it could get worse, which was why she had to see the cardiologist once a year to monitor it.

"You know, Rylan, her condition can stay mild for a long time. She has the same thing I have it sounds like," Sabrina said.

We all looked at her. I didn't know Sabrina had anything wrong with her heart.

"You have it too?" Rylan asked curiously.

"Yeah, aortic valve stenoisis, right?" Rylan nodded. "Yep, I was diagnosed with it when I was three months old. My pediatrician detected a heart murmur so my mom got me checked out. Everyone she talked to, her friends I mean, said that it was nothing, kids have murmurs all the time and that it would probably correct itself. So that's what she was expecting the cardiologist to tell her too, but nope."

We continued to stare wide eyed at Sabrina. She'd never told us this before. "Anyhoo, Chera freaked out, apparently. But my condition has been really mild. There's nothing to even worry about really. I still see the cardiologist once a year for an EKG and ultrasound on my heart and valves. So far so good," she smiled, knocking on the wooden table.

"So you've always had a heart condition?" I asked. She nodded. "And I'd never even know if you hadn't just told us," I mused.

Sabrina laughed. "Yeah, the only thing I'm not supposed to do is power lifting. So that sport is out for me. Too much stress on the ol' heart. But I can do anything else. Obviously."

"The marathon didn't stress out your heart?" Bella asked.

Sabrina shook her head. "Nope, my doctor was fine with it. So, anyway, I've always been interested in cardiology. Just to learn more about my condition mostly, but I'd like to specialize in it."

"Wow," Rylan breathed. "I'd like to learn more about it too. It makes me feel better, actually, knowing someone else with Layla's condition. It gives me hope for her."

Sabrina nodded. "Well, anything you want to know, I can try to answer, and if I can't, my doctor is a genius so we can go to her. But the worst thing you can do is coddle her over the condition. Believe me, Chera was scared to let me do anything at first, but soon she realized I could run around and play like any normal kid and I'd still be okay. She hasn't looked back since. My heart condition isn't even an issue."

The subject got around to the wedding. Alice was going to show Bella and Sabrina potential dresses for Bella and the bridesmaids while we were home in Forks for Christmas.

We asked Rylan about his LSAT. He said it went well. He applied to law school here in Seattle. I was sure he'd be accepted. It looked like we'd be neighbors for a while longer.

We talked about the end of the football season for Rylan. Unfortunately, our school wasn't going to any bowl games, major or minor, and Rylan wasn't on the final list of potential Heisman candidates despite his spectacular season. Sabrina brought her computer out to show us what Grampa Lou had said about Rylan on the air on ESPN. She found it on youtube.

What Lou said made us all smile. He talked about how the candidates were all good, but he was a little disappointed to see "_a fantastic kid like Rylan Jamison overlooked. Now, I've met this young man, and let me tell you, he is impressive."_ They showed some footage of Rylan playing and Lou spouted some of Rylan's stats.

"That was really nice of Lou," Rylan said as Sabrina put her laptop away. "But hey, I've still got my mock Heisman trophy, right? It's a Sabrina original," he smiled at her.

Sabrina rolled her eyes, "Yeah, it's so much better than real thing anyway. You don't have to worry about showing it to everyone and keeping it all polished and nice. Plus, it's probably frowned down upon to use the real Heisman as a doorstop," she joked.

"I don't use it as a doorstop, I'll have you know. It's a paperweight." He stuck his tongue out at Sabrina. She laughed and threw a fortune cookie at him.

Rylan caught it before he unwrapped the cookie and pulled out the fortune once he broke the cookie in half.

"What's it say?" Sabrina asked.

"_Your abilities are unparalleled."_

"In bed!" Bella, Sabrina, and I added and then laughed. We always put the phrase_ in bed_ at the end of all of our fortune cookie fortunes. Rylan laughed along with us.

Bella unwrapped her cookie and blushed as she read, "_You will have a very pleasant experience."_

"In bed!" We laughed.

Sabrina opened hers, "_Your ability to juggle many tasks will take you far."_

"In bed!" We laughed again. This never got old.

Then it was my turn, "_Your everlasting patience will be rewarded sooner or later."_

"In bed!" We laughed yet again. I shook my head. That last part always made the fortune so much better.

"It's a good thing we add the _in bed_ part because really those aren't fortunes at all if you think about it. They're just dumb sayings. Look at this one," Sabrina said as she opened up another cookie. We had gotten a couple extras. "_Help I'm being held prisoner in Chinese bakery!_ Oh, well, that's just unfortunate. How ironic." She opened up the last one. "_Explore an unpaved road with a new friend_. And, that's like an errand, not a fortune."

Bella laughed, "Yeah, like what are you doing today, Sabrina? _Oh, I gotta pick up my dry cleaning and then explore this unpaved road with a new friend_."

After the cookies we cleaned up and then Bella wanted to look at some of Sabrina's work. Sabrina and Rylan sat on the sofa as Bella and I walked around the small apartment. Sabrina would comment on some of them when we asked about them. We were looking at a new painting on her easel when I felt a nudge. Bella directed my attention to a small suitcase with an airline tag attached to it. The tag was crumpled like it's been through baggage claim conveyor belts and was manhandled.

"Sabrina, what's with this suitcase?" Bella asked. "It looks like you've been using it recently," she commented.

She smiled guiltily. "Oh, yeah, about that. I was out of town."

"_What_?" we all asked, astonished. Why would she leave town and not tell us?

"Where'd you go?" Rylan asked what Bella and I were about to.

"I was in Chicago for a couple days. I visited my mom's parents and I also interviewed at UIC and Loyola," she shrugged.

We just stared at her. I didn't know those schools had contacted her already. Rylan became really quiet, as did Bella. I guess reality was beginning to set in.

"That's great," I tried to sound excited for her. "How'd it go?"

Sabrina smiled at me, silently thanking me with her eyes, "Really well, I think, but can you ever be sure? It's nerve wracking getting interviewed by a committee. I wanted to knock those interviews out. They're my fallback schools so I wanted to use them as practice to interview at my top choice."

"So is Rush or Northwestern your top school?" I asked as the other two looked on glumly.

Sabrina shook her head. "Neither. I didn't apply there. My top choice is here on the west coast," she was biting her lip.

Bella and Rylan's heads immediately shot up in surprise. She hadn't mentioned a school out here. We were all looking at her expectantly.

"Well, I didn't say anything about it because it's such a prestigious school and I really didn't know my chances there. Well, I just assumed my chances were slim to none. Only my parents and Carlisle and Esme know. I applied to Stanford, and I actually heard back from them." She was smiling now. I could tell she was really excited. Wow, Stanford. It's the second best school for medicine in the nation. "I just flew in from San Jose this morning. I interviewed at Stanford yesterday!" She was looking at us nervously and expectantly.

"I take it the interview went well?" I asked, matching her smile myself now. Rylan and Bella were looking on with wide eyes and mouths agape.

"They told me, unofficially of course, that I'm in! I wouldn't leave without an answer. I should be getting the official letter within a couple weeks!"

"So you won't be going to Chicago then?" Bella asked cautiously.

"If…_when_ Stanford accepts me then I'm going there, Bells." Sabrina smiled at Bella and then looked to Rylan. "I'll still be in the same time zone as you guys," she offered.

"Stanford is incredible, Sabrina. I didn't know you were even considering it," I commented.

"They've got the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital there. That's where I want to do my residency." That made sense. She wanted to work with kids. Wow, she'd really thought about this.

"Congratulations, Sabrina. You should be really proud of yourself," I smiled. I was proud of her myself.

"Thanks, Edward. I am. My parents are going to freak out too," she grinned.

"You didn't tell them yet?" Bella asked.

Sabrina shook her head. "I want to wait until I get the official letter. Make sure this is for real, you know?"

We nodded in understanding.

"How far away will you be?" Bella asked for all of us.

"Thirteen hours by car or two hours by plane. San Jose International is the closest airport to Palo Alto, California. I'd be situated between San Jose and San Francisco."

We let that sink in. "Two hours by plane. That's nothing," Bella said brightly. "We can still see you on all the holiday breaks?"

"Of course, Bells! You won't even be able to tell that I'm from out of state I'll be here so much."

"Good," Bella said looking at Sabrina. Sabrina nodded at her reassuringly.

"It will be good," Sabrina said.

Shortly after that Bella and I left. It didn't go unnoticed that Rylan was especially quiet once the subject of med school came up. Bella and I knew they had a lot to talk about now that the cat was out of the bag.

**Rylan PoV**

I pretty much froze when we started talking about Sabrina's med school choices and then ultimately her decision to go to Stanford. It was like a slap in the face. The reality was that Sabrina would be leaving. I wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. I'd have been selfish if I even attempted to talk her out of it. But I was selfish. I didn't want her to leave.

"You've been awfully quiet, Ry. I know your mind is going a mile a minute then, so what's up?" She asked once Edward and Bella had left.

We were both sitting Indian-style on the sofa facing each other. Sabrina was holding both of my hands, absentmindedly alternating between interlacing our fingers and massaging my palms with her fingertips. She was looking at me expectantly.

I sighed before responding, "I'm just trying to wrap my head around the concept that you'll be leaving and that I won't get to be with you anymore. It'll be a hundred times worse than that one wretched month we spent apart…I don't think I'll be able to survive it." I answered as honestly as I could.

Sabrina nodded in understanding. Her eyes bored into mine as she spoke, "It'll suck, but honestly, Ry, this _friendship,_" she used her fingers as quotation marks to emphasize that last word, "can't go on forever. I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that we'll be able to be together forever anymore no matter how much I want that to happen."

_Together forever_. _Delude herself. Anymore._ I was processing her choice of words. She must have thought, at one time at least, that we could possibly be married and happy. I wasn't the only one thinking that. But now…now I couldn't even think straight.

"I'm not sure I put much thought into how long our _friendship_," I did the quotation marks with my fingers as well, "would go on. I was just too lost in the ecstasy of finally being with you again. I pushed everything else out of my mind. I did think about it a little what with the possibility of your going to med school in Chicago. I've been cursing Chicago. Now I have to curse Stanford and the Silicon Valley." I smiled at her ruefully.

She very subtly made a face and looked away. I knew she was thinking something that she didn't want to express verbally. "What is it, Sabrina? Go ahead and say what you want to say." We might as well put it all out in the open. Hash this thing out. I wanted to hear it though I knew whatever it was wasn't good. She must not have wanted to speak it aloud for a reason.

"You're cursing my med school choices when you should be cursing your…" she hesitated a moment, "…you don't want to…you're not going to fight to be with me are you?" She didn't really mean it as a question. She said it as though she already knew the answer. It was a statement of fact to her.

I couldn't answer right away. Is that what it came down to? That I wouldn't fight for her? It was a horrible accusation to make, and I'd never heard it spoken out loud. But once it was made and it was out there, it was hard to deny. In Sabrina's eyes she thought I didn't care enough about being with her to go against my mother. Well, honestly I hadn't ever gone against my mother, but it was not because I didn't want to be with Sabrina enough.

"Sabrina, it's…complicated…"

"Rylan, I know when we started this relationship back up I said I was a big girl and didn't need the fancy label of girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. And I don't, but how long can I go on being happy with knowing that I am not completely yours? That we can't really go out in public and be affectionate or whatever. I've loved having you to myself here, behind closed doors, but I have to come to grips with the fact that you can't or you won't give me anymore than that. And that's not good enough. And that hurts. Ultimately, I want more. Hell, I _deserve_ more."

"Sabrina, is this about the hospital benefit dinner? Or the closet thing?" I was trying to get more information out of her.

Earlier this month, I told Sabrina about a black tie event I had to go to for the hospital since my mom was chairing it. She was fine with it but realized that I had to go without her. I saw her face fall ever so slightly, though she put on a brave front. She nearly convinced me that it didn't matter to her. She ended up spending the night here alone since I think her friends all had plans that night as well. She played it off like she was happy to have a night to herself.

The closet thing was…well, it was bad. She happened to be over at my place and my mom had popped in unexpectedly. Luckily, Sabrina's car wasn't in my driveway so my mom had no idea Sabrina was there, but she did hide in the closet for a half hour while my mom was over. It didn't help matters that I was flippant about it afterwards, joking about how she could come out of the closet now. If I had to pinpoint a moment when I felt a shift in her overall disposition about our relationship it had to be then. She continued to be herself, but I'd felt a subtle difference in her attitude since. I couldn't say I blamed her. I was just hoping that it hadn't bothered her as much as it probably did.

"You know how I joke about your being my concubine, Rylan?" she smiled wistfully. I nodded, smiling a little myself. "Well, I'm not sure we don't have that flip flopped."

I immediately panicked. Oh, god, I hoped she didn't think I was using her. "Sabrina, please, _please_ don't think for one second I was using you for sex. I would never…" I was shaking my head vehemently, pleading with her through my eyes.

"Rylan. Stop. I'm not saying that's what you were doing. I'm just trying to tell you how I feel, tell you what's going on up here." She tapped her temple twice. "Besides, I knew what I was doing. I put myself in that position, no pun intended," she snorted. I shook my head at her ability to joke at a time like this. "But I need to look out for myself a lot better now. The hospital dinner and the closet thing, they hurt my feelings. A lot. More than I care to acknowledge actually, but even if they didn't happen, you know we can't go on like this."

I really didn't like the direction this was going. I was anticipating the final blow. "What are you saying right now, Sabrina?" I asked slowly and cautiously.

"I'm saying you have to prepare yourself for the day that I have to leave for med school, and that we most likely won't see each other anymore because I need more than what you can offer me right now. Maybe one day you can give me everything I need, but now…I know you can't."

I looked at her dejectedly. I couldn't argue. I had nothing to rebut with. I was going to be the worst lawyer ever.

"But for now," she continued, "It's a question of how long we want to keep this up, knowing our time is limited to the end of the school year or perhaps the summer at the latest. I'll leave it up to you, Rylan. For the record, I would like to spend as much time with you as possible, but I know it'll most likely hurt more when I leave. But I figure it'll hurt if we break up right now anyways so why not get a few more months of happiness out of this deal? But that's just me being selfish again."

Wow. I couldn't believe how much thought she'd put into this. Everything she had said had been dead on. I'd been deluding myself as well. "I'm more selfish than you will ever be, Sabrina. I'm sorry about how much I've hurt you. Please know that wasn't my intent at all." She nodded in understanding. "If by some miracle my mom accepts our relationship, would you still be going off to Stanford?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "But I'd feel so much relief from knowing we wouldn't have to hide our relationship. I don't like that we have to visit each other on the sly. We shouldn't feel ashamed of our love. Well, I've never felt shame, but you…I'm sorry if you have." She looked down biting her lip as she trailed off. Jesus, she thought I was ashamed of her. I was an asshole. She should never have to look that hurt and forlorn.

"Sabrina, I've never felt ashamed for loving you. Not for one second. I promise you. It's just…I'm going to work on my mom, okay? I can't promise you a change in her, but I'll try. For now, I would like to spend as much time with you as possible as well. We'll deal with the aftermath later." I held my arms out to her as she crawled into my lap and leaned against my chest, resting her head in the crook. I kissed her head and held her as we sat there silently.

**A/N Life is so not fair sometimes (sigh). Okay, review.**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N Once again, in case you didn't get the previous 33 memos, I don't own Twilight. A couple things before I set you loose on chapter 34. This doesn't affect the story much, but I went back and changed Maisy's age from five to four. I was crunching the numbers, and that's the age that makes sense for how old Sabrina is. I should have caught that earlier. Also, I borrowed an idea from Spritegirl in this chapter: a vat of acid. You'll see where that comes in. **

**Anything else? **

**Hmm, oh, we're getting close to the end of this story. It'll go by at light speed after this chapter. I can't put my finger on a specific number of chapters though. So, I was thinking about writing a prequel--the high school years in Forks, how they all became friends, etc. What do you think? Also, I'm down for any suggestions and ideas as far as story lines for a new story. So let me know.**

**Chapter 34 EPoV**

Our senior year was fast coming to a close as we approached graduation. Since classes started back up after Christmas and New Year's, they've been going by at break neck speed. The wedding was getting closer, which I was extremely excited about though it also meant that Sabrina would be leaving Seattle. Since Spring break Rosalie has had a false alarm, Bella's been helping Sabrina prepare for the art exhibit, Jasper's been researching available apartments in the Silicon Valley for Sabrina while doing Alice's evil bidding for wedding related items, and Sabrina has acquired a tortoise.

First the tortoise. Sabrina and I had histology together, and there was an incident in lab one day in March. It was like a train wreck happening in slow motion really. She was in lab, scalpel in hand getting ready to slice into our chunk of pig skin when someone, turtle-boy, Derrick, was walking by, tripped, flailed his arms trying to regain his balance while accidentally pushing Sabrina who sliced across the top of her left hand.

I happened to be looking the other way when I felt Sabrina grab my arm as she cussed after she sliced her hand. I turned to look at her and she was staring up at me in panic. We looked down at her left hand, blood was gushing out. We hurried over to the sink to wash it out. She winced in pain when the cold water hit the wound and cussed again, "Motherfucker!"

"Calm down, Sabrina. Let me take a look." We removed her hand from the water. I tried to keep a straight face, but it was pretty deep. "I think it's going to need stitches. She cussed again. I swear she could make a sailor blush with her colorful language.

I ended up taking Sabrina to the ER despite much resistance from her. I couldn't understand her reluctance until we got there. Yep, as it turned out, Nora Jamison was the attending physician that afternoon. That would be Sabrina's luck wouldn't it? Usually Nora worked in the evenings. Sabrina said she'd rather amputate her hand than face Dr. Jamison, but I made her stay. Ten stitches and a tetanus shot later she was discharged.

Sabrina was grouchy, maybe from the pain of her wound, but mostly from the run in with Rylan's mom. Nora was almost civil to Sabrina in the ER though. She grudgingly congratulated Sabrina on getting into Stanford School of Medicine and strongly hoped her dexterity improves once she got proper medical training. But that's how Sabrina ended up with Morris, the tortoise. Turtle-boy Derrick was so apologetic about running into her he gave her a Red-footed tortoise as a present to make it up to her. He apparently breeds them.

"Turtle-boy," Sabrina had no problem calling him that to his face and he had no problem answering to it, "What the hell am I going to do with a tortoise?"

This one happened to be potty trained (he went on a pile of newspaper in a corner) and he could roam her apartment no problem as long as it was at least seventy-five degrees in there. Sabrina's temperature comfort zone is between seventy-two and seventy-six so that wasn't a problem. Plus, Derrick helped her set up a basking spot with a lamp for Morris during the day. Also, she could paint his shell, which she did. Right now Morris is sporting the Cubs logo.

Morris was three years old already. Originally, his name was Bill, but Sabrina decided that didn't have enough pizzazz, and if she had a tortoise as a pet, darn it, he'd have pizzazz, hence Morris the Tortoise Kingston.

Anyway, Sabrina's stitches came out over Spring Break, but Carlisle took care of that for her while giving us a crash course in removing stitches, so there was no need to see Rylan's mom again.

According to both Rylan and Sabrina, they were still seeing each other. Rylan was getting bolder and actually talking about Sabrina to his mom, hence her knowing about Stanford. Nora still didn't like Sabrina for whatever insane reason and still held out hope for Rylan and Gwen getting back together. As far as Nora knew, though, Sabrina and Rylan were really good friends, but at least he could see her without lying about it, which made Sabrina feel a lot better about the situation. I'm not sure what's going to happen to them once she leaves for Stanford. I hope they can keep a long distance relationship going. Neither really talks about it though.

Piano lessons were coming along great despite the injury to her left hand. I had finished my lullaby for Bella and gave the sheet music to Sabrina. She promised she'd put in a little bit of time each day to practice it. She was very frightened when I told her she'd probably have to play it without the sheet music in front of her. Actually, I planned on having the music there in front of her at the reception, but thought it'd be really good incentive for Sabrina to really learn the song if she thought she wouldn't have the sheet music. Call me evil, but I know she doesn't want to look like an ass in front of everyone (her words, not mine) so she's putting in extra practice time.

Rosalie's false alarm came in April. The first of April, actually, no lie, April Fool's Day. Bella and I decided to resurrect our Wednesday evening pizza and Seinfeld night. Emmett had to work late so Rosalie joined us. Everyone except Emmett was over. Rosalie said she was feeling some sort of contraction every ten or so minutes for an hour so we decided to take her to the hospital. They actually turned out to be Braxton-Hicks contractions, which isn't true labor so we were sent back home though Rosalie was loathe to believe what she was feeling wasn't true labor.

Sabrina and I were wary of her so-called contractions and suspected false labor because she felt them in her abdomen rather than low back, plus they weren't getting progressively more intense. The reason we knew this was because we had just watched a video on giving birth in our First Aid and CPR class, only in the video the woman was having a baby in a barn. Weird, I know. We _sort of_ know how to deliver a child now if we _absolutely_ had to. Thank goodness for cell phones and ambulances though. Anyway, Sabrina and I told her the same thing, that is was most likely false labor, but Rosalie wouldn't listen to me.

"No uterus, no opinion!" she screamed at me. But when Sabrina told her the same thing, Rosalie accepted it without a problem. How frustrating. Must be that estrogen bind again. But meanwhile, Rosalie tried to call Emmett to tell him she was in false labor, but he never answered his cell. Not even after five attempts. Rosalie was pretty pissed after the fifth try and Emmett not answering so she left him a hate-voicemail.

"Oh, my god, Emmett! I can't believe you're not answering your phone when your wife is severely pregnant. I could be on the side of the road right now giving birth to your child in the ditch and you wouldn't even know it! How do you think that makes me feel?" and then she hung up. Needless to say, Emmett was in big trouble that evening and always answered his phone from then on when Rosalie called.

Emmett wanted to prove that he was capable of being responsible so he borrowed Maisy for an entire Saturday. "I'm gonna babysit the hell out of this kid!"

I'm not sure what he was trying to prove. I mean almost anyone can keep a preschooler alive for a few hours, but Sabrina liked Emmett's gung ho attitude. "That's the spirit, Emmett!"

So Emmett took Maisy to the park, the children's museum, and out to eat. They were at the food court at the mall when Maisy had to go. He wasn't sure which restroom to use: the men's or the women's. When he asked Maisy which to use, she just shrugged. Luckily, a kind woman pointed out a family restroom so he took Maisy in there. Maisy is potty trained fully, but sometimes has a tough time wiping afterwards so she asked Emmett to help her, and the trooper that he is, Emmett obliged. He proudly bragged about that to us later. Sabrina and Rosalie were over at our place that afternoon when Emmett brought Maisy back asleep on his shoulder.

We were all very impressed that she was still in one piece and worn out from a day with Big Em. Well, we were impressed until she woke up from her nap and complained of discomfort in her nose.

"Brina, I have owie in my nose," Maisy wrinkled her nose and pouted her lips a little.

"What's wrong? Did you scratch it with your fingernail?" Sabrina asked.

"Uh-uh. The owie is up here," and she pointed to the bridge of her nose. "It's a diamond."

We were all looking at each other confused. "Maisy, do you have something _up_ your nose?" Sabrina asked for clarification.

Maisy nodded and Sabrina took a look up her sister's nose. I could tell Sabrina didn't want to panic and scare Maisy but she had a look of utter shock on her face. Sabrina shot Emmett a questioning look. He merely shrugged.

"Maisy, do you think you can blow your nose to get that out?" Maisy nodded, and then tried to blow her nose a few times but nothing came out.

We tried to get the _diamond _out with tweezers but it was too slippery. Ultimately, Carlisle came with Sabrina's parents to pick Maisy up. He brought his medical bag with him. Maisy was a little panicked when she saw the length of the needle nosed tweezers Carlisle was going to use so it took three of us, Sabrina, Bella and me, to hold her still so Carlisle could fish the offending object out of her nose. It was a blue heart-shaped plastic jewel that was turned on its side and lodged just right in her nasal cavity, which is why she couldn't blow it out. Maisy was comfortable and happy again immediately.

We all looked at Emmett, who had his hands over his face shaking his head as Carlisle pulled the tweezers out of Maisy's nose. "I swear to god, I don't know when she could have done that!"

Rosalie freaked out about Emmett's carelessness, but Sabrina and her parents were surprisingly really amused by the entire situation. Maisy said she had a great time with Emmett and couldn't wait to spend another day with him so overall he did a good job. Now would I trust him alone with a newborn? The jury is still out on that one.

We asked Maisy when she put the diamond up her nose. It turns out Maisy stuck it up her nose early in the morning before Emmett even picked her up. Emmett was very relieved that it didn't happen on his watch, and Rosalie even apologized, albeit reluctantly, for chastising him again because, let's face it, Emmett was bound to do something that required chastising sooner or later.

Sabrina showed her paintings and sculptures at the Senior Art Exhibit in late April. It was always a big deal on campus and even garnered press coverage. The local paper devoted a whole section to the art students. The local news was also in attendance. I think the same woman who tried to interview Sabrina after the marathon was there. She still had her blue Jimmy Choos, Alice pointed out with disdain. I don't think she remembered Sabrina as the marathoner who threatened to vomit on her though.

The entire exhibit was quite impressive. Bella and I were in awe of the talent at our school. It blows my mind that we go to the same school as people that will no doubt change the world for the better with the many gifts and talents they have to offer. It gives me chills thinking about it. I'm honored to be counted as one of their peers really.

The whole family came to support Sabrina. Even her gay friend Dean from the coffee shop stopped by without his boyfriend. Apparently things didn't work out, but Dean took Sabrina's painting back and kept it himself. "Classy, Dean," Sabrina commented shaking her head.

Artists and gallery owners came to the exhibit as well to check out the local talent. A gallery owner from Seattle even asked if she could show one of Sabrina's pieces in her store. If it sold, the biggest cut would go to Sabrina. Chera was really excited about Sabrina's work being displayed in an actual gallery. Sabrina was just flabbergasted someone on the owner's level would even recognize her work. That seemed satisfaction enough for her.

Rylan showed up with the entire football team to support Sabrina as well. It was quite a scene with forty plus huge jocks mingling with art connoisseurs and parents alike. Some were even talking to Sabrina and asking questions about her work. I must say I was impressed.

The most exciting thing that happened this spring was by far the birth of my beautiful, perfect niece. Our graduation was actually cut short by Rosalie going into labor. Her water broke as Bella was walking across the stage to accept her diploma. Luckily, Bella was the last of us to get her diploma so we went straight to the hospital.

Originally Mrs. Hale and Emmett were in the delivery room with Rosalie, but Mrs. Hale came out to tell Sabrina that Rose wanted her in there with her instead. Mrs. Hale admitted that she was stressing her daughter out by asking her every couple minutes how she was. Sabrina was psyched to participate in another medical procedure, and to be there for Rose too, of course.

Rosalie was one of the exceptions to the rule that first time moms are in labor a long time. By the time Sabrina got in there it only took four big pushes for the baby to come out. Sabrina and Emmett came out to tell us the big news. Sabrina was jubilant in participating in another live birth. She wanted to tell me every gory detail, but I had to stop her. Yes, I'm interesting in all things medical, but I draw the line at listening to details about my sister-in-law's va-jay-jay, as Sabrina refers to that part of the female anatomy. Emmett, on the other hand, walked out dazed and horror struck, like he had just witnessed a castration.

So on May twenty-second at 8:15pm, Emma Louise Cullen entered the world. The entire family was over the moon. Emma is the first baby since Maisy for us all to dote over, and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say we were all instantly in love with her. The sight of big, hulkish Emmett holding his delicate infant daughter in his bear claws brought tears to my eyes even.

As soon as Rosalie left the hospital, though, we were in another whirlwind as the wedding was a mere heartbeat away.

**Bella PoV**

I can't believe how far Edward and I have come. Was it only a year ago that we finally confessed our true feelings to each other? After six years of friendship we realized, well _he realized_, that we were in love, and now, today was finally our wedding day.

Alice wouldn't let me do a thing except pick up my mom and Phil from the airport. Everyone was staying either at the Cullen house or at Sabrina's parents' house. The excitement and anticipation surrounding our nuptials was palpable.

Thank goodness Alice respected my desire for a very simple outdoor ceremony. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The ceremony took place at twilight in Esme's garden, and the reception was also held there. We girls had spent the night together at Sabrina's parents' house, in Sabrina's old room. They were sweet and let me have the bed while Alice and Sabrina shared an air mattress. Rose stayed for a while but had to go home to her parents' and tend to Emma.

It was like old times as we hung out and talked. Of course we laughed and cried a lot, but it was so much fun. We talked about the honeymoon. Edward was taking me to Italy, and I couldn't wait. I've never been further east than Albuquerque. Though he wanted to surprise me, he had to tell me about the honeymoon, because I needed to get my passport renewed. Alice and Sabrina were jealous because they wanted to shop in Milan. They rolled their eyes and shook their heads since the fashion capital of the world was lost on me.

We talked about babies. I wanted to enjoy a few years of married life before having a baby, but if it were to happen, well, obviously it would be a blessing.

"Oh, man, I bet Edward is so ready to be a dad already, Bella," Sabrina commented. "He's the biggest sap ever."

"I know," I agreed and we burst out in a fit of giggles. But seriously, I know when it happens, our baby will have the very best father anyone could wish for. Just the way he is around Maisy and now Emma, he's a natural. The very idea of Edward having a tea party with our future daughter made me smile and gave me shivers.

Alice was so excited to plan her own wedding next.

"Sabrina, you're coming back to be in my wedding aren't you?" she gave Sabrina that ACHE (Alice Cullen Heartbreaking Expression).

"You could have me on the banned list, and I'd still show up, Alice! Even if I had to escort _Nora Jamison _to it! Wild horses couldn't keep me away." Wow. Even with Nora Jamison, huh? That's love. That comment was followed by a group hug.

"You mean crazy bitches couldn't keep you away," Alice quipped and we all laughed. "Sabrina, we're going to miss you so much! And you were worried about us leaving you. Now _you're _leaving _us_," Alice pouted.

"I know. Sorry, guys, but I'm so excited for med school. Stanford better watch out. I'm about to turn the Silicon Valley upside down," she warned.

I bit my lip wanting to ask but a little afraid to. I did anyway. "So…what about you and Rylan?"

Sabrina sighed. "I honestly don't know. We haven't talked about it. I know, I know, it's like we're in denial, but things have been really good lately. I mean, Nora still doesn't like me, but she knows how much time we've been spending together. Maybe she doesn't mind so much right now because she knows I'll be leaving soon, and, thus, I'll be out of her and her son's hair. It's just a fling after all," Sabrina rolled her eyes.

I don't know if I could be as strong as she is if I were in her place. I really couldn't understand Rylan. I mean, I really like him. He's so great to Sabrina, mostly. There are times though when I think he should be standing up for her more than he does, especially when it comes to his mom. Sabrina told us about the talk they had over Christmas break. I thought that was really mature of her. I knew the hiding of the relationship would take its toll on her eventually. I'm glad she stayed true to herself.

And Nora Jamison. I couldn't speak or think her name without wanting to spit. The nerve of that woman to insult Sabrina and her parents. She's such a witch! I know Alice and Rosalie feel just as strongly about her as I do. We've discussed our hopes of the woman to falling into a vat of acid, but the chances of that happening are quite slim. How can a mother not want her own son to be happy? And her inexplicable favoritism towards Gwen? We just didn't get it. I mean Gwen broke Rylan's heart once before, and I can bet she'd do it again. We're just relieved that Rylan isn't in love with Gwen still.

"Do you think you could be happy with someone else?" Alice asked.

Sabrina made a face and shrugged. "I can't see that happening." Then Sabrina got a playful glint in eye, "_Unless_ there's another Cullen or Hale lurking about that you guys haven't told me about. A long lost Cullen brother, hell, even a Cullen sister," she laughed. "I'd swing that way to marry into the fam!" We shook with laughter at her statement. She's so crazy.

"FYI, Sabrina, you're already part of the Cullen family," Alice informed her. "Since the day you showed up to Forks High School, I knew you'd be a part of our lives, and now look. Also, I have a feeling you and Beefcake will ultimately be together again. You belong together. Bella and Rose and I are still working on that vat of acid, by the way; we'll keep you apprise of the situation." We all laughed again.

"Be nice," Sabrina said sternly pointing at us.

"Don't worry, Sabrina, we won't mention you at all when it all goes down. You know nothing about the acid incident," Alice winked at Sabrina and shrugged. "Sabrina who?"

Somehow we all calmed down enough to get to sleep. I pouted when I woke up the next morning because I wouldn't get to see Edward all day. The last time I saw him was yesterday before coming over to Sabrina's. He kissed me passionately as he held me close when he dropped me off. "The next time I see you, love, we'll be husband and wife." We both grinned at the realization.

After much effort to make sure Edward was not in the vicinity of his parent's front door, Alice and Sabrina sneaked me into Alice's room for the beautification process. As much as I hated being poked and prodded, I was happy to be with my girls. Alice, Rose and Sabrina took my breath away in their dresses. My bridesmaids were in sleeveless knee length gold sheath dresses with a bateau neckline and tied at the waist. They wore simple gold kitten heel sandals.

Alice kept me dressed simply, for which I was grateful. Again, I was able to wear fancy flats. They were gold leather open-toed sandals. Thanks to Sabrina's insistence on keeping the bride safe, I got to wear flats again! Now I wouldn't have to worry about tripping excessively. My dress was a gorgeous floor length gown with gossamer silk-georgette, ruched shoulders, and a gathered waistband. I felt like a Greek goddess worthy of marrying my personal Greek god. Esme, Renee, and Chera came up to get a peak at me. They all gasped and immediately became all teary-eyed. I knew then that I must have looked all right.

The moms went back downstairs and Charlie knocked softly on the door. The girls let him in and patted his shoulder reassuringly. They went into the hallway to meet their men and Maisy. It was pretty much a repeat of Rose's wedding except that Rose and I and Emmett and Edward had switched places. Emmett was the best man but he'd walk with Rose and Sabrina was walking with Rylan even though she's my MOH. I loved that we could still all be with our significant others.

"Dad, you look so handsome!" I gushed.

Charlie waved his hand at me as if to deflect the compliment.

"You do!" I insisted.

Charlie was looking at me and nodding infinitesimally as if giving his approval. "Thanks, kiddo. Well, I guess this is it. I, uh, want you to know how proud I am of you. I couldn't ask for a better daughter or a better son-in-law. I know Edward is a good man and he'll take care of my little girl." Charlie swallowed hard and I was getting choked up already. I knew this was hard for him. "Bells, I sure am glad you decided to come live with me after all these years. I've loved having you around, and just because you're all grown up and getting married doesn't mean you can't visit an old man, you hear?"

I smiled at my silly father. "I love you, Charlie," I whispered as I gave him the biggest, tightest hug I could without ruining my hair and makeup, Alice would kill me!

Suddenly, I heard the music. It was _Claire De Lune_ and it made me smile. "That's us, Bells. It's show time, kid."

And with that, Charlie escorted me down the stairs and to the backyard. I was on such a happiness high, I didn't even trip! The wedding party had just taken their places when I locked eyes with Edward. I wanted to run all the way down the aisle to him, but kept my composure. Besides, who knew how much destruction I'd leave in my wake if I attempted to sprint down the aisle.

The grin on Edward's face was absolutely priceless. He smiled my very favorite crooked smile causing me to smile in return. His eyes were misty and full of so much love, and somehow his smile grew bigger as he watched me walk closer towards him. Charlie kissed my cheek and shook Edward's hand while giving him a knowing nod, right before he went to sit down. Edward took my hands in his giving them a gentle squeeze as we took our place in front of the clergyman. I handed my bouquet of wildflowers to Sabrina who was simply beaming at me. She gave me a wink for encouragement.

The ceremony went by in a flash. Before I knew it, I heard "You may now kiss the bride."

Edward gave me that lopsided grin again as he leaned in whispering, "I love you Isabella," and gave me the sweetest kiss imaginable. I felt like I was floating. He leaned his forehead against mine still smiling.

"I love you, Edward. Always," I whispered back.

The reception was underway. I thought I never stopped smiling at Rose and Emmett's wedding, but even at my own, I knew my face would be sore tomorrow from the stupid grin that never left it. Every chance he got Edward would whisper how much he loved me and how beautiful and exquisite I was.

We went through the traditional activities including the bride and groom feeding each other wedding cake. We borrowed from Rose and Emmett by having small cakes at each table as the center piece, and having the couple at each table that's been together the longest cut the cake along with us. Our wedding cake was a delicious red velvet. Edward faked like he was going to shove the cake in my face, but he decided not to, which I was grateful for. He soon regretted his kindness, though, when I shoved the wedding cake in his face. I don't think he minded when I kissed some of if off .

I danced with Charlie while Edward danced with Esme. Then Edward went to sit down at the piano bench, I hadn't even noticed that the baby grand was brought out to the backyard and placed in the gazebo. How'd I miss that? Edward looked at me and patted the seat next to him. I sat down, bewildered.

"Edward? What are you doing?" I asked.

"Giving you your wedding present, love. Actually, it's more like a present to me since you were the inspiration for this." He kissed my lips softly and began playing the most beautiful song I've ever heard. Some of the notes sounded familiar. I was thinking hard to place them. This was the same song he played that day at Sabrina's apartment. He said he was just messing around!

"You wrote this?" I gasped, cupping my hand over my mouth. He nodded and smiled at me without missing a note, not that I could tell anyway. A tear escaped as I sat, mouth agape, listening to my song.

"Will you dance to this with me, love?" Edward asked me. I had a puzzled expression. How could we dance to it if he had to play it?

Suddenly I felt a figure hover over us. Sabrina smiled and winked at me again as she sat down next to Edward taking over the piano playing where Edward left off to the sound of light applause.

Edward took my hand and we stood up to begin dancing as Sabrina continued to play. He held me close to him as we waltzed and twirled on the floor lit by strings of white lights draped over and around the sheer gold gossamer canopy. Edward's strong arms were around my waist. I felt so safe and secure there. He never let me trip once. I was lost in a world where it was only Edward and myself. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered but the man looking down at me with his scorching green eyes that conveyed nothing but love.

"What do you think of your lullaby, love?" he asked me when Sabrina's playing came to a close.

I merely shook my head in disbelief. "That..it.. I…" I couldn't even articulate an appropriate response. I didn't need to because before I could even utter another incoherent syllable, his lips came crashing into mine.

I was jolted back to reality by the sound of applause. Edward and I looked around at all the happy faces of family and friends staring back at us. I have never felt more loved than in that one moment. I truly felt blessed.

**A/N I will put web addresses for the bridesmaid dress as well as Bella's dress on my profile. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N It's me and I still don't own Twilight. So have you seen the new trailer for the Twilight movie on yahoo? Mmm, Rob Pattinson. Yummy! I put the address on my profile if you want to view it. Also, I think I have fixed the problem with the address for the ugly sweaters so if you copy and paste it to your browser it should work now. Thanks to Edwardsmyangel for bringing that to my attention.**

**So, we're getting closer to the end now. And about the prequel, Phantomwriter gave me a good suggestion about writing a series of one shots rather than an entire story since the prequel wouldn't have Edward and Bella together as a couple though they'd be very good friends (remember Sabrina thought they were an item when she moved to Forks?) Anyhoo, the one shots idea suits me in that I have license to be random, and I'm nothing if not random. So, expect prequel and sequel one shots after this story is complete. And, obviously, they will make more sense to you if you have read Saving Me. Oh, BTW, sorry for such a lame title. I'm too lazy to challenge my brain to come up with a better title. I'm too busy trying to create a story here, I guess.**

**So here's chapter 35! Wow! Who knew I'd have enough material for this many chapters? Not me. Hope you enjoy it. And please review!**

**Chapter 35 BPoV**

I awoke from the light of the sun peaking in through the windows of our suite. The bed was so incredibly comfortable, especially after a sixteen-hour flight. I stretched my arms up over my head yawning and accidentally smacking Edward in the forehead. I also accidentally scratched his leg with my toenail when I stretched my legs out.

"Ow…ow," he complained.

"Oops, sorry."

"Bella, love, there are kinder ways of waking your husband up in the morning. Are we settling into a pattern of abuse so soon into the marriage?"

I smiled at the sound of his velvet voice, my _husband's_ velvet voice.

"Are you smiling about hitting me in the head, gouging my leg, or the pattern of abuse?" he joked.

I turned towards Edward wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm smiling at your being my husband, of course. Good morning, husband." I kissed his neck.

"Ah, of course. Good morning to you, wife," Edward kissed the top of my head in return.

We laid there a moment taking in our surroundings. We were in the most comfortable bed in a beautiful hotel suite in one of the most romantic locales known to man. This was heaven, also known as Venice, on our honeymoon.

I closed my eyes as I thought about our wedding. I couldn't get the image of Edward, looking nothing short of stunning in his tux, gazing at me with his emerald eyes all misty and full of love and adoration as Charlie escorted me down the aisle towards him. I never wanted to forget how Edward looked at me or how I felt as he looked at me. The dark fabric of the tuxedo contrasted so strikingly against his skin, his copper hair in slight and sexy disarray, his full lips widening from my favorite lopsided smile to a full out grin as I approached him. I was nearly bursting with emotion from reliving that moment.

I sighed. Then I remembered his piano playing. My beautiful lullaby, which Edward hummed to me last night after some very passionate love making, despite our exhaustion from the flight. It was like our first time. Well, it was our first time, as husband and wife. I sighed again and couldn't hold back the smile that automatically sprang to my lips whenever I think about Edward.

"Penny for your thoughts, love?"

I snuggled even closer to Edward. "Mmm, just reminiscing about the wedding and our wedding night. I'm in complete and total ecstasy right now. Nothing could make this moment better for me."

"Hmm. _Nothing? Really?_ Because I can think of a couple things that could make this moment better for _me_…" his voice was thick and sultry.

Before I could respond, I felt Edward's lips on mine. I smiled against them as I trailed my fingertips along his torso down towards his naval and, oh, that didn't take long to get his full attention. Edward's mouth was moving hungrily with mine as I began stroking him.

He broke the kiss only briefly. "Now _this_ is a pleasant way to wake up," Edward growled as he repositioned himself so that he was hovering above me while smiling wickedly down at me. His green eyes were ablaze. "Don't you agree, love?"

Again, I couldn't utter a single sound in response before his mouth found mine again. Yes, it was a very good morning. I take back my premature comment about nothing being able to make the moment better. Edward and I were able to improve on that moment. Again. And again. And again.

**EPoV**

Our three weeks in Italy were the three best weeks of my entire existence. There was nothing in the world that mattered except for Bella and myself. We spent our days traveling throughout Italy, taking in the sights and immersing ourselves in the culture. We spent our nights making love, twisted and tangled in sheets and limbs. It seemed as if we could never get enough of each other, which is fantastic seeing as we have a lifetime to spend together.

I would love to have spent longer than three weeks on our honeymoon, but we were both anxious to get back home since we have a new member of the family now to bond with. We both already missed baby Emma. Plus, Bella really wanted to spend some time with Sabrina before she left for California. I have to admit, I was going to miss her as well. We've pretty much seen or at least spoken to her everyday for the past six years save for Tanyagate last year. It would definitely be different without her here to harass me about miscellaneous and random things. Anyways, with the excitement of graduation and Emma's birth, plus the wedding, we didn't get to celebrate Sabrina's birthday. In fact, it was closing in on my birthday as well as Maisy's. We certainly have a lot of celebrating to do. We decided to wait until after the honeymoon to get together for the birthdays.

The family is definitely very proud that Sabrina is going to Stanford for med school. I know she is really excited about it despite having to leave friends and family for a while. As she said, it's only for a few years. And she will be visiting us a lot, and us her so it should all be good.

Bella and I were at baggage claim when we spotted Rylan holding a sign that read _Cullen_ on it. She smiled and waved to him, and when some people in front of Rylan moved, we noticed Sabrina next him. She shrieked when she saw Bella and me. I guess it would have been a shriek if we were close enough to her to hear. I did notice Rylan making a face and rubbing his ear so I assumed it was rather high pitched and shrill. She's learned that from Alice I think. I hope Sabrina didn't do any permanent damage to Rylan's eardrum.

Once the girls spotted each other they just ran for it. Geez, by the way they were behaving you'd think they hadn't seen each other in years not weeks.

"Bella!" Sabrina screamed as they approached each other. They were hugging and Sabrina was talking a mile a minute. "Ohmygodyoulooksogood! Howhaveyoubeen? HowwasItaly? Wasitjustsobeautiful? Youlookgreat! Marriedlifeagreeswithyou. Areyouhungryortired? Doyouwantsomefriesorsomething? Howaboutnachos? WowIsoundlikeAlice!" Sabrina finally took a breath and looked at me. "Oh, hello Edward."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Nice of you to notice me here, Sabrina."

She grinned really big. She was genuinely happy to see the both of us. "Aww, c'mere, Cullen!" and she gave me a hug as well. "How are you? You look great!"

I laughed. Even though I was tired from the flight, her enthusiasm was contagious. "I feel great, Sabrina. I'm the luckiest man alive." And I was. I was married to the most wonderful, beautiful, magnificent woman ever.

"Aww, you sap!" she shoved me. "I love it. Come on." She started pulling one of the suitcases but didn't get very far because it was pretty heavy. "Geez, what's in here, a chunk of the Colosseum?"

Rylan suddenly appeared next to us. He gave Bella a hug and shook my hand before taking over pulling the suitcase that Sabrina had just complained about. "How's it going, Edward? Have a good time?"

"Yeah. It was…beyond words." He nodded understandingly. We shook our heads at Sabrina and Bella who were a few yards ahead of us now, arms hooked and chatting away. They both turned back to look at Rylan and me briefly. They both smiled at us before turning back around.

"Wow, you think they'll run out of things to talk about before we get home?" Rylan asked.

I snorted. "Are you crazy? They never run out of topics. Ever. It's the estrogen bind," I informed him confidently. "So how have things been around here? Did we miss much?"

"Quite a bit actually," he answered cryptically. I raised an eyebrow at him. Rylan just grinned and shrugged. "I helped Sabrina find an apartment in San Jose," he told me.

I was amazed. "Wow. Already? That was quick."

Rylan drove us all back to the condos. We texted Alice on the way to see what she wanted to do to celebrate Sabrina's and my birthdays. We didn't need anything fancy. Bella and I just wanted to relax for the rest of the day and then see the family sometime over the weekend. We decided to go to Emmett's house the next day and then home to Forks for Maisy's birthday party on Saturday. Hopefully this year won't be a repeat of last year's pink lemonade incident for Emmett.

Sabrina told us about her trip to San Jose with Rylan to look at a few apartments that she was interested in. Between Jasper and Wes, they found three potential places. She also met with her advisor so she was really excited about going to Stanford now. The reality of it was setting in for sure. She also got to meet her student mentor. Apparently, first year med students get hooked up with older med students to help them get through first year jitters and issues. I thought that was a pretty good idea. We were happy that Sabrina was excited to go and that she'd at least know one person once she moved to California.

Anyway, Rylan helped her decide on an apartment that was close to campus and shopping. It was a one bedroom that had nice amenities, a dishwasher, garbage disposal, and washer/dryer stackable unit. She was trying to decide whether or not to get a job at a nearby restaurant to help pay the difference in rent. Obviously, the apartment in San Jose would cost way more than her studio apartment here, but evidently, the owner of her building is also a doctor who charges less to students, especially poor med students. She signed the lease already and will be moving in mid-July. They actually started prepping the apartment the same day Sabrina signed the lease. While Sabrina met with her advisor and mentor, Rylan had stayed behind to clean her apartment. Anyway, that only gave us three weeks with her. Bella was pretty bummed about that, and I have to say, I was too.

Once we got to the condos, Rylan and Sabrina helped us with our bags and then left to let us relax and unwind. I love traveling, but it does take a toll on your body. We'd catch up the next day at Emmett's house.

**BPoV**

There was something different with Sabrina and Rylan. I couldn't pin point it yet, but they were especially happy when we saw them again. They were almost like how they were at the beginning of their relationship about a year ago.

Rylan was quiet, as usual, when we talked about California, but instead of pouting he looked like he was trying to think about something else beside the conversation at hand. He looked like he had escaped to his happy place. I wondered if he wasn't still in a bit of denial. Yes, pensive is definitely the word to describe Rylan yesterday. Sabrina really didn't seem to notice, or if she did notice, she didn't acknowledge it. I guess she was just really glad to see Edward and me again and even more thrilled to begin a new chapter in her life.

I was sad to learn we only had a few weeks together before she was to move. I know she's all gung ho about California, but I'm still worried about her. I don't think I could do it myself, move to a strange place not knowing a soul. Well, I guess she technically knows her advisor and her mentor, Quinn, who was an intern at the children's hospital. She is ready to pick his brain. She would have done it already but held back a bit not wanting to completely frighten him the first time she met him.

Well, I suppose I have done what Sabrina's doing once. Moving back to Forks to live with Charlie. Starting school there not knowing anyone. And Sabrina did it too, so she's old hat at it I guess.

The next evening Edward and I met the others at Emmett and Rosalie's house. We were so eager to see Emma again. I usually hate shopping, but we found some really cute baby girl clothes for her in Milan. Alice was very pleased at the collection and voiced her approval.

"Be still, my heart! Bella, you picked these out?" I chose to take it as a compliment rather than an insult.

"Yes, Alice. Put it down in the books, Bella Sw…I mean _Cullen_," I glanced at Edward next to me to see his reaction of my not remembering my new name. He gave me a crooked grin and winked. I stuck my tongue out at him "…enjoyed shopping in Milan, for her niece."

Edward chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?" I demanded. "I've been Bella Swan for twenty-three years and a Cullen for only a month now. Cut me some slack!"

"Maybe the new love for shopping comes automatically when you become a Cullen," Sabrina hypothesized. "It's like all these years with Alice was your Cullen-in-training period, Bells. You're like Luke Skywalker to Alice's Yoda! Or Annikin to her Obi Wan!" We were all looking at Sabrina like she was crazy, but she continued, "I mean, you've gone from loathing shopping to actually enjoying it in the fashion capital of the world. You're now a Jedi-shopper, Bella! Congrats!"

"I'm _Yoda_?" Alice wrinkled her nose.

"Don't be offended. Yoda was a badass. He was the ultimate Jedi knight. You saw how he did in _Attack of the Clones_. We've witnessed you tear up the mall. Your credit cards are your lightsabers. Don't fuck with Yoda, man," Sabrina concluded.

"Plus, you're Yoda's size, sis!" Emmett pointed out. Alice threw a pillow at her brother.

"Hey, you're lucky I'm not holding Emma right now. You could have given her a concussion!"

"Shhh, Emmett!" Rosalie scolded him. "You're going to wake her up," she spoke tersely.

"How come I get yelled at? Sabrina cussed twice in front of Emma."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You were being loud, Emmett. Sabrina's foul language won't affect Emma right this moment. She's only a month old _and_ asleep."

We all looked over at Edward who was holding Emma. I caught his eye and smiled. Yep, he's a natural.

"You're hogging her, Edward," I complained. Edward grudgingly gave up Emma for me to hold. Sabrina came over by my side so she could touch Emma's little hands. "She's so sweet," I gushed.

"I know. I could watch her sleep all day," Sabrina smiled. "Huh, baby girl?" She was stroking the back of Emma's hand with her forefinger. "See, this is what I'm going to miss. Right here. Hanging out with all you guys and doing nothing at all. Listening to those two bicker," she pointed her chin towards Emmett and Rose. "When you guys hang out without me you'll have to record the interactions or, better yet, call me and put me on speakerphone so I can hear you and participate in your insane conversations."

"_Our _insane conversations? Sabrina, you just ranted about how Alice is Yoda teaching Bella Skywalker the ways of Jedi shopping," Jasper retorted. "_That's _what I'm going to miss. Your random discourses. You'll have to email me your diatribes, Sabrina. They're too amusing to keep to yourself."

Sabrina scrunched her eyebrows together. "Whatever, Jazz. Thanks."

It was quiet for a few minutes. We were still captivated by a sleeping Emma. We were all grinning stupidly at her when Alice broke the silence.

"Hey, Edward and Sabrina need to open their presents still," she reminded us.

So Edward and Sabrina took care to open their gifts quietly so they wouldn't wake Emma. It was the usual types of presents. Gift cards are always a smart choice for any of us. Especially now that Sabrina was moving and with Edward being a homeowner. Alice usually is the one to purchase an actual gift. She's got a knack for gift giving. She got Sabrina and Edward some scrubs. They would definitely use those.

"Alice, I expect you to design some really funky ones for me when I'm a full-fledged doctor. I want some Alice Cullen haute couture scrubs for sure," Sabrina demanded.

"Oh, no worries, Sabrina. I've got some styles in mind already," Alice told her. "I can see you rocking some designer scrubs."

Sabrina nodded in appreciation. "That's what I'm talking about."

Sabrina handed Edward her present to him. "I know nothing will be able to top the Smurf DVD from last year, but here you go."

We all smiled at the memory. Ah, the Smurfs will always have a special place in our hearts. Edward unwrapped what looked to be a shirt box. He smiled in amusement as he brought out a stack of blank sheet music with E.A.C. in the corner in fancy script. Also, there was a burned DVD and CD. He looked at Sabrina questioningly.

"The DVD is of you playing Bella's lullaby at the reception and the two of you dancing to it while I hacked it up in your place," she smirked as she explained. "I smooth-talked the wedding videographer to burn me that portion of the wedding video for you guys. And the CD is just some of my piano playing samples. It's a thank you for re-teaching me that wretched instrument without too much emotional or physical abuse." Edward smiled his thank you for the gift and the two shared a hug. "Um, I may have cussed a few times on that CD. Consider yourself warned," she added.

"Thanks, Sabrina," Edward finally told her. That was a really sweet present. I guess Alice isn't the only one who has a knack for gift giving.

Edward and I got Sabrina a stethoscope with her initials engraved on it, which she was very pleased about.

I was still holding Emma while everyone was eating the tiramisu that Rylan made for Sabrina. Edward was feeding some to me so I wouldn't have to put Emma down. I swear I could hold her forever. Well, until she needed to be changed anyway. Some not-so-cute sounds were coming from this very cute baby girl. Also, some really not cute smells were emanating from her little bottom.

"Um, Emmett or Rose? She's all yours now," I informed them with my nose wrinkled as I got up to hand her back to Emmett.

Emmett just laughed. "Don't worry, Bells. You'll get used to it. It doesn't even gross me out anymore," he shrugged as he took his daughter to the nursery to change her diaper. I looked at Edward and he seemed as impressed as I was that Emmett was so hands-on.

Alice and Jasper and Edward and I stopped eating our dessert at that point. We had lost our appetite. However, Sabrina, Rose and Rylan continued to eat theirs as if they weren't at all affected by the fact that someone, albeit an infant, just pooped there in front of them as they were enjoying tiramisu. But then I guess they've had more experience with this stuff than the rest of us.

Sabrina noticed me eyeing her, surprised that she could keep eating. She smiled at me and shrugged. "Nothing grosses me out anymore, Bells. Mucus, poop, spit-up, whatever. Once you've lived with a baby, you can't let it stop you from eating otherwise you'll never eat. Babies are beautiful, yes, but they're also vile little creatures that have weird substances oozing out of miscellaneous orifices."

"Wow, that's really nasty," Jasper commented. "Thanks for painting such a pretty picture of infants, Sabrina."

Rylan and Rose just laughed and nodded in agreement with both Sabrina's and Jasper's comments.

"Hey, it's not all sunshine and rainbows," Rose added. "But, it's all worth it." She was glowing just thinking about her little Emma. It was really sweet.

Emmett came back out without Emma, whom he put in the bassinet after he changed her. He had the little radio with him so we could hear her if she woke up. "Yep, that one was pretty good and messy," he chuckled.

"Well, she is her father's daughter," Edward joked.

"Got that right, little bro," Emmett laughed. Only Emmett would be proud to talk about his bowel movements and then go back to eating his tiramisu without missing a beat. When he was finished, Emmett got up and collected everyone's plates and spoons and took them to the kitchen. Again, I must say Emmett impressed us all. It was so kind of him to clean up so Rose wouldn't have to.

"Hey, what's this?" Emmett asked once he came back from the kitchen. He was gathering up the various cards that Edward and Sabrina had opened. He was holding a thick business sized envelope. "Rylan, it's addressed to you. It's been opened. Did you accidentally leave your mail over there on the table?" Emmett asked confused.

"Actually, it's Sabrina's birthday present," Rylan explained cautiously.

Emmett shrugged and handed the envelope to Sabrina, who also had a bewildered expression on her face. She looked at Rylan next to her. He smiled a small smile at her. "I hope you like it," he said to her.

Sabrina looked at the envelope. The outside had Rylan's name on it, but the return address was blacked out. Sabrina took out the paper inside and unfolded it. She looked at it, shock evident in her eyes, then immediately looked back up at Rylan who was now grinning wildly at her. "Are you serious?" she asked incredulously. Rylan merely nodded as he continued to grin at her. "_Really_?" she was almost whispering. She was in awe over something.

"Yes, _really_, Sabrina," Rylan answered her.

"Where will you live?" she asked him cautiously.

"Where do you think?" he countered.

A smile and sheer joy replaced Sabrina's stunned expression. Her eyes began to glisten with tears as she got up from her spot next to Rylan to throw her arms around his neck. He squeezed her tight to his body. She closed her eyes as she embraced Rylan, allowing some tears to escape.

"I take it you like your gift?" he asked her solemnly as he rubbed her back soothingly.

We would have all left the room to allow them to enjoy what was clearly a very private and intimate moment if we weren't so overcome with curiosity about what Sabrina's present was. Even Emmett appreciated that they were sharing an important moment. He didn't demand to know what was going on until Sabrina broke from the hug to look into Rylan's eyes and whisper, "Love you, Ry."

Rylan reciprocated the sentiment, and kissed her sweetly. None of us could look away, though we probably should have. Not that they were making out or anything, but it just seemed like we were intruding on something very personal and special.

We were waiting with bated breath for someone to explain.

"Alright, I can't take it anymore. What the hell is going on?" Emmett demanded.

Sabrina opened her mouth to speak but then we heard Emma's cry from the little radio.

"Crap! Hold that thought, Sabrina, and I mean it. I don't want to miss anything!" Emmett warned her severely as he raced to check on Emma. So we all just sat there staring at Sabrina and Rylan staring at each other smiling. I wanted to scream for Emmett to hurry up. The suspense was killing me. He finally returned with a very awake Emma in his arms. "Okay, go!"

Sabrina smiled at the cue. "This is an acceptance letter from Santa Clara University School of Law to Rylan." She looked at us, but I still wasn't sure what she was getting at. I mean, I kind of knew, but I wasn't sure. "It's located in Silicon Valley," she pointed out quite calmly but not trying to hide her smile.

I smiled broadly as well. It all made sense now. I looked around the room at everyone else's faces. They matched mine and Sabrina's and Rylan's.

"That's smurfin' awesome!" Emmett remarked as he pumped his fist.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N Still don't own Twilight. **

**Well, I hope you liked the last chapter. I was considering keeping Rylan and Sabrina apart during med school, but couldn't do that to them. That surprise was fun to write. **

**So here's chapter 36. Family fun in Forks. I'm thinking just one more chapter after this one to send our friends on their way back to Cali (to Cali, to Cali—I love LL Cool J) and then I'll start work on the one shots. Should be fun. I do have a paper to start and finish before I do that though. Blah! **

**Chapter 36 Sabrina PoV**

"That's smurfin' awesome!" Emmett proclaimed after a long silence where all my friends were processing the news I just dropped. It was pretty smurfin' awesome. I can't believe Rylan even applied to Santa Clara and then committed to going there once he was accepted. And then to surprise me with it at my belated birthday party was beyond fantastic.

Rylan told us that he had applied after he learned about my acceptance into Stanford. He didn't have to mention that it was after the big talk over winter break. My girlfriends knew about it, therefore, their men all knew. Even though it wasn't my intent, I guess that talk really kicked him in the butt. But I was still left wondering about Layla and especially his mom, and I'm sure they were all wondering about the same things. I contemplated asking him about his mom in front of everyone. I mean, yes it was a private matter, but it's not like they don't know the situation, and Rylan realized that. Ultimately, I decided to ask him about it one on one.

After the excitement of Rylan and me moving to California together died down somewhat, we decided to call it a night. Rose and Emmett needed to rest. Hell, we all did. We'd all be going home to Forks the next day for Maisy's birthday party at my parents' house.

I was staring at Rylan on the entire car ride back to my place. He had to have felt my gaze on him the whole time but he didn't say anything until we were almost home.

"What?" he smiled giving me a puzzled expression. He gave my hand a squeeze. I had refused to let go of his hand since we left Emmett's house except for the few seconds or so for him to leave my side to get into the driver's seat of his car.

I squeezed his had back. "You know what," I retorted.

"I have an idea, but I want to hear it from you. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, Sabrina?"

I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed his palm. "Well, first, what about Layla?" I mean she was the original reason why we broke up. Her condition was getting progressively worse, and his mom wouldn't allow him to spend time with Layla if her were with me. I still get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about that. How evil, right?

He was thoughtful for a moment before he answered, "I talked to her cardiologist. Her condition is borderline between mild and moderate. They can intervene with medication if need be, but it's not that bad yet. I'll be able to talk to her on the phone still. Anyway, she'll only be a two-hour flight away if she really needs me."

I still couldn't help but feel guilty. "Ry, are you sure about this? Don't feel like you _have_ to do this for me. I mean, I don't want you to think our talk back in winter was my way to force you to pick between me and your family, because I would never do that. I…"

Rylan interrupted me, "Sabrina, stop." We were walking into my building. There were people around so we waited until we got upstairs to continue the discussion. I kicked off my shoes right away, as did Rylan, and we plopped down on the sofa sitting facing each other, with our knees almost touching as we sat Indian-style. This is our unofficial serious talk seating protocol.

Rylan took my hands into his. He was looking straight into my eyes. "I was serious when I told you that I'd work on my mom. And while she doesn't completely like the idea of the two of us together, she realizes how wrong it was for her to ban me from my own sister regardless of who my girlfriend is." He smiled mischievously but continued. "I've learned a thing or two from her about laying down a guilt trip."

I had to smile at that myself. It's a good skill to learn and hone. My mom's mom is the queen of the guilt trips. "So, what did you tell your mom about us then?"

"I told her that we were broken up for a month of my life that I will never get back because of her. I told her that she had caused not only her own son much hurt and anguish, but also you and that I wouldn't stand for it any longer. I told her to give up her silly pipedream of Gwen and me getting back together because that's never going to happen. I told her that we've been seeing each other again and that I've never been happier. I told her how you complete me and that I couldn't just sit around and let the best thing that's ever happened to me walk out of my life again because it would surely shatter me this time." He was caressing my cheek with his fingers now.

Rylan continued, "I told her about my intent on applying to law school near you because being in the same time zone isn't good enough for me. You may be strong enough to live like that, Sabrina, but I'm not. I know I'm not. Even if I hadn't gotten accepted there or at any school I would have moved with you. I told her that the very thought of not being with you causes me physical pain. Hell, I can't even take a whole breath when I think about your potential absence from my life. Sabrina, I can't breathe without you. I…"

I didn't let him finish. I grabbed his face and crushed my lips against his. I thought I loved him before, but after hearing all this, my love for Rylan grew tenfold. I was shocked and surprised at the fact that he challenged his mother in this manner. I can't believe he said all that to Nora and lived to tell the tale. I didn't even realize I was crying again. He broke the kiss to softly wipe away my tears, the look of concern in his eyes. "Babe, why are you crying?" he asked in a whisper.

"You fought for me. For _us._" I sniffled.

Rylan gave me a wistful smile. "Of course. It was high time I did wasn't it?" He kissed me tenderly. "Do you want to hear the rest of what I told my mother?"

"There's more?" I asked incredulously.

"Just a few more key points if you want to hear them?" I nodded. Of course I wanted to hear them. "I surprised her you know. She really wasn't expecting me to say any of this stuff to her. I've never defied her before, but I told her that her behavior towards you really disappointed me. This is where the guilt trip comes in," he added with a proud smile. I laughed at his obvious pleasure over guilting his mom. I love it!

"I told her that I love her unconditionally even though she has been so…antagonistic towards the most important person to me ever, and that if she loved me, then she would want me to be happy no matter who my choice is, and that she needs to get used to the idea of your being in my life because your such a wonderful human being and I love you and I'm going to marry you and…" He rushed through the last parts of the discourse.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold the phone. Rewind. What was that you just said?" I put my hands together making the international signal for a timeout. I wanted to be sure I heard him correctly.

"You're a wonderful human being?" he smiled.

"No, after that."

"I love you?" he continued to tease me.

I moved my right hand in smallish circles gesturing for Rylan to keep going.

"Oh. I'm going to marry you." This wasn't a question. He said it the same way he'd say, _It's raining outside or We're out of milk_. No hesitation. No uncertainty. None needed because he knew I felt the same way.

"And to this Nora responded with _Over my dead body, Rylan_?" I ventured. "You're lucky you got out alive. Did she put a hit out on me?"

Rylan shook his head. "No, no. Don't be silly. She merely pursed her lips and was quiet for what seemed like forever mulling over all that I had told her before she said grudgingly, _Well, at least you'll give me some beautiful grandbabies_." He looked at me to get my reaction.

I narrowed my eyes and drew my eyebrows together as I thought about Nora's comment. After a moment, I finally nodded. "Yeah, that seems about right," I conceded. Rylan also nodded in agreement. "So, where's my ring then, Beefcake?" I joked.

"In my pocket," he informed me.

I made a face. "Yeah, right," I scoffed. "That's just a lame attempt to get me to put my hands in your pants," I laughed. There's no way he was serious.

To my surprise, Rylan stood up from the sofa reaching into the pocket of his jeans. I thought he was pretending to call my bluff. I stared at him defying him to prove me wrong, but Rylan stared back just as determined as I was it seemed like.

He had something in his hand. It could have been a ring; it could have been a Lifesaver mint. I couldn't tell what it was. I thought he was taking this a bit far but decided to play along with Rylan as he kneeled down on the floor in front of me. But the look in his eyes was now very intense and humorless. I was frozen. Rylan completely took me off guard. He made a move for my hand. He was actually going to do it!

He took my left hand into his. "Sabrina, you know that you are my entire life now, and I don't want to be without you. I cannot be without you. I love you more than I'll ever be able to articulate. Will you marry me?" Rylan stared at me. His hazel eyes twinkling now as if they were smiling at me. He knew he caught me off guard and he was very amused.

I sat there speechless for the second time this evening. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out so I merely nodded looking like the idiot I was, with my mouth agape in utter shock.

Rylan gave me his heartbreaking grin as he surprised me again by slipping something onto my left ring finger. Un-freaking-believable! He really had a ring! I gasped as I got a good eyeful of it. It was a platinum band with a four-pronged setting holding a very good-sized diamond. Eyeballing the rock, I'd say it was well over a carat, maybe one and a quarter. Wow! It was blinding! If I could have picked out my own engagement ring, this is exactly the one I would have chosen.

All I could say was, "Um…so you just carry this around with you?"

Rylan chuckled. "I've had this since last fall actually. I was waiting for the right time and then after we broke up, I was just hoping and praying that I'd get another chance with you so I could propose. Bella told me what to look for in a ring for you. Do you like it?" His eyebrows were raised in curiosity.

I wanted to say, _Are you drunk? Of course I like it!_ Or _That's the stupidest question I've ever heard!_ But I settled on, "It's perfect. Thank you."

He smiled in satisfaction at my answer. "I never want to be without you again, Sabrina. Thank you for saving me." He leaned in to kiss me ever so softly, my favorite staggered-lip kiss where my bottom lip molded perfectly between both of his and his top lip between both of mine. I love how warm and gentle his lips are. I melted into this kiss, pulling Rylan's face closer to my own, my fingers tangled in his black waves. He finally broke the kiss to whisper, "Elephant shoe, Sabrina," into my ear; his warm breath somehow sent shivers down my spine.

I smiled at the sensation as well as the sentiment. I hadn't heard our code word in forever. "Elephant shoe too, Ry," I responded.

**BPoV**

Edward and I met everyone at Sabrina's parents house the next day. We would have driven with Sabrina and Rylan, but they were going to stay in Forks for a couple days to execute Maisy's birthday present. Sabrina didn't want to give anything away about her gift to Maisy. All she told us was that she was going to out-Edward Edward once again this year "so be prepared and come correct," whatever that means. Edward took it as a throw-down. He was so ready he said. "No one out-Edwards Edward two years in a row!" I just shake my head at those two. They act more like a pair of competitive siblings sometimes rather than mature college graduates. These two were going to be doctors one day? Sometimes that was hard to fathom.

Everyone was already there when Edward and I arrived. We found the men hanging out with George in the living room watching the Cubs play the White Sox in an interleague game. At least that's what Edward said the game was. I still really haven't gotten into baseball much. It's not as exciting as football.

The vibe in the house was electric, we discovered upon entering. We greeted the men. They seemed to be congratulating Rylan about something. We just assumed it was about his acceptance into Santa Clara. But then Emmett said, "Welcome to the club of whipped men, man. Just smile and nod at everything she says and chooses, put on the monkey suit, and stand where she tells you to stand." We thought that was an odd comment even for Emmett.

"And how is that different from how the relationship is now?" Charlie asked to which Rylan replied with, "It's not," and everyone was laughing and slapping Rylan on the back.

And then Jasper added, "Alice totally called this, for the record. Never bet against my fiancé unless you want to lose your money and/or your dignity."

"What are we missing?" Edward asked after we had exchanged some curious glances at each other.

Rylan looked up at as grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I proposed to Sabrina last night."

My intake of breath was so loud and sharp; it could have been mistaken for a medical condition that required immediate attention. My eyes bugged out and I cupped my hand over my mouth with one hand as I grabbed Edward's arm with the other to stabilize myself so I wouldn't fall over from shock and excitement. I needed to find Sabrina immediately. Now I know how she felt when she discovered that Edward finally proposed to me. I felt nothing but pure happiness for my best friend.

Edward was grinning as he looked at me and then congratulated Rylan. I started to run out of the room to look for Sabrina and the other women when I remembered I hadn't said anything to Rylan so I doubled back to the living room to say hastily, "Sorry! Congratulations, Rylan!" and ran back out again before he could thank me.

The women were in the back yard. They were finishing up setting up for the birthday party. Alice, Rose, Sabrina and Emma were sitting in the shade. Their heads turned toward me as they heard me slide the glass door from the kitchen to join them.

"Sabrina!" I screamed. All three of my girlfriends were grinning at me as I managed to run and actually reach them in one piece. Sabrina stood up in anticipation for my hug. I threw my arms around her and squeezed her so tight that it would have crushed her for sure had I been Emmett. "Oh, my god, I'm so happy for you!" I gushed. "This is so exciting. First his moving with you and now you're engaged."

"I know, Bella. He totally surprised me last night," Sabrina beamed. I grabbed her left hand to admire her ring. Wow! We went to sit down with Alice and Rose and made Sabrina tell us everything, which she did. We were so pleased that Rylan told his mom off, well as kindly as he could anyway, and stood up for Sabrina.

Rose, Alice and I all agreed about the beautiful grandbabies comment. It was accurate as well as random. All in all, coming from Nora Jamison it was pretty much as close to her giving them her blessing as she was going get.

Sabrina recounted the actual proposal to us as we all aww'ed and swooned and then giggled at ourselves aww'ing and swooning. That's when the men joined us. George was escorting the kids to the back yard to begin the little party. Rylan was holding Maisy's hand as she led the way. He stopped to sit with us after pulling up a few more chairs for the other guys.

We were talking and watching the kids play as we all waited for the magician to arrive. We stopped talking when we heard some bickering amongst the kids.

"Nuh-uh. You're wrong. We'll ask my sister. She knows _everything_." Maisy was leading a pack of five children towards us. We all smiled at how cute and worshipful of Sabrina Maisy is.

"What's up, kids?" Sabrina asked warily.

"Brina, where do babies come from?" Maisy asked. All the kids were looking at her as expectantly as we were. Sabrina had a very panicked expression for only a millisecond before she recovered to her calm and cool façade. She looked around at us for some help, but we just shrugged like the turncoats we are.

"Um, where do _you_ think babies come from?" she asked cautiously.

"Dylan says the stork brings them, but that's stupid. Birds don't fly around with babies," Maisy mocked the little boy Dylan who was next to her.

"That's what my mom told me," Dylan countered shyly.

Maisy huffed and rolled her eyes, "Brina?"

Sabrina swallowed hard, and we could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she scrambled for an answer. "Um…babies…come…from…mommies." The children just stared at her waiting for more of an explanation possibly. "And that's all you need to know, now go away," she shooed them with her hand.

They continued to stare for a moment longer when Maisy said, "See?" The other kids nodded in understanding and went back to play.

After they left Sabrina, wiped the imaginary sweat off of her forehead. "Whew, that was close. And thanks a lot, jerks. What happened? All of a sudden you guys become mute?"

We just laughed. I sure didn't know what to say. I was just happy they didn't ask Emmett. Sabrina's mom would be getting some phone calls later if that were the case.

"Hey, you know that Dylan kid is Maisy's boyfriend?" Rylan asked changing the subject.

"_Really_?" Sabrina asked, clearly taken aback.

"Yep, he told her he loved her and she made him eat paste to prove it," he informed us.

Sabrina smiled, "Maisy made him eat paste? That's so awesome." We girls giggled at the visual of Maisy bossing poor little Dylan around, telling him to eat past if he loved her. She's definitely Sabrina's sister.

Jasper shook his head, "I didn't know the indoctrinating occurred so early."

"Hey, she came up with that on her own. Though, that certainly is an original and creative litmus test to measure affection. Rylan, would you eat paste for me?" she tilted her head at him.

Rylan contemplated a moment, "Um, it's nontoxic right?"

"I think so."

"Then yeah, I'd eat paste for you, Sabrina," he agreed.

"Aww, thanks, Ry," she gushed.

Alice and Rose and I also aww'ed along with her.

"Hey, wait. I'd totally eat paste for you Rosie," Emmett declared. "And for Emma," he added puffing out his chest and stroking Emma's little head.

Rosalie smiled her thanks to her husband who had Emma hanging from him safely swaddled in a sling. It was comical to see huge Emmett with delicate little Emma against his chest, her blond curls springing out in every direction. For being a month old she already had a good head of hair. She truly is a beautiful little girl. Emma has Rosalie's blond hair and blue eyes, Emmett's curly hair and dimples. She was a perfect combination of her parents. She definitely had Emmett's healthy gastrointestinal system, which she demonstrated for us once again. "That's my girl," Emmett pronounced as he got up to go change her.

Chera came up to us a while later asking Sabrina if she taught Maisy any swear words.

"What are you talking about, mom? I don't cuss in front of Maisy…much," she added almost inaudibly.

"Well, she hit her elbow and then said _Damn it_," Chera stated with a straight face.

Sabrina couldn't hide her delight over her sister using the curse word in the correct context. "That's pretty good," she commented but changed her tone when she noticed her mom's incredulous expression. "But I'll talk to her, mom. We'll nip this in the bud," she assured her mother.

Sabrina called Maisy over. "Maisy, where did you hear that swear word?"

"Which swear word?" We all looked at each other. Just how many swear words did Maisy know?

"The one you just said when you hit your elbow," Sabrina clarified.

Maisy thought a moment, the look of concentration on her face as she tried to remember the word. "You mean _damn_?"

We all snickered a little but straightened up when Chera gave us the stink eye. Chera doesn't mess around and we were a little afraid of her.

"Yes, that one," Chera said.

"From Mommy," Maisy shrugged. She looked at Chera. "You say it when Daddy leaves his socks in the hallway."

Chera's look of surprise and embarrassment sent us over the edge and we all laughed outright.

"What the smurf is going on?" Maisy asked looking at all of us in confusion. Chera placed a hand on her hip as she eyed Sabrina.

"Okay, _that_ I take full responsibility for," Sabrina conceded.

The rest of the afternoon flew after the magician did his show. We all agreed that Magic Steve, though his name is much lamer, certainly outdid Magic Mike from last year. We had cake and ice cream and Maisy opened presents without incident, which was good for Emmett, but far less entertaining for the rest of us than last year in that respect.

We declared a tie in the ongoing out-Edwarding Edward battle. Edward and I got Maisy a tree house. Well, technically it was going to be built and Jasper and Emmett were supposed to help so it was definitely a group present. The guys decided to come back next weekend to build the tree house. All the kids were excited to learn that they could come over to Maisy's to play in the tree house later in the summer.

Sabrina and Rylan were going to paint Maisy's room. Sabrina showed Maisy her sketch for a mural she came up with that included funky and colorful cartoon creatures Sabrina imagined up. Maisy really liked the characters and was excited to have them painted in her bedroom.

Edward and I hung out at Charlie's for a while before driving back home and collapsing on the sofa and cuddling. It was a long day. Fun, but tiring.

"I love our big crazy family, Edward," I yawned as I snuggled against his chest.

"They're the best," he agreed kissing my head.

"Yeah, and now Rylan is joining it," I couldn't help but smile even though I was still very tired. "Hey, Edward?" I asked looking up at his face.

"Yes, love?" Edward looked at me curiously.

"Would you eat paste for me?"

His gorgeous green eyes were shining with amusement. He smiled my favorite crooked smile. "Absolutely, I'd eat paste for you, Isabella," he said solemnly before leaning his head down to kiss me softly.

I smiled in response, "Thanks, Edward. I love you too."

**A/N I'd eat paste for Edward and for my readers and reviewers. For sure. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Until next time…Elephant shoe, readers!**


	37. Chapter 37Last one! sniff sniff

**A/N Nope, I still don't own what Stephenie Meyer clearly owns. First, thanks to all who have read and read and reviewed. I appreciate it. Second, I put an address on my profile page to where you can find a picture of what I imagine Rylan to look like--yummy! And Sabrina too!**

**Okay, so this is the last chapter. I know, I'm a bit bummed, but remember I'll be writing prequel and sequel one shots if you're interested. So, this chapter is not as long as the others, but I'm still proud of it. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Chapter 37 Alice PoV (Gasp!)**

"Alright, that's it. I'm taking over this whole operation!" Rosalie bellowed at the guys who were trying to build Maisy's tree house, the keyword being _trying_. "Move it or lose it, Lame-o," she ordered to Edward holding her hand out for the hammer after she passed Emma off to me. Edward grudgingly handed her the hammer.

Edward, Emmett and Jasper had been bickering all afternoon over how to build the tree house, each believing he had the best plans. The end result? The ugliest non-tree house any of us had ever laid eyes on. Even Maisy had asked with disdain, "What the smurf is that?" And that's when Rosalie decided to take over. She would have done it sooner but she was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt to be able to correct themselves, but this was a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

So Hefty, Brainy, and Lame-o were relegated to assisting Handy. They were essentially her smurfing bitches, dejectedly handing her whatever she needed and doing her bidding.

She didn't even leave Rylan out.

"Hey, Beefcake, make yourself useful and get me a Coke!"

Rylan looked at us. "What did I do?"

"Doesn't matter. Get to steppin', Beefcake," Sabrina smiled him. And so he did.

"Sabrina are you going to paint any of your Funkee Town Friends in the tree house when it's all done?" I asked. Those were the cartoon characters Sabrina thought up to paint in Maisy's bedroom, also known as the Funkee Monkees. They were really cute and fun, all resembling monkeys, of course. She had eight of them that she based on all of us: one in a smock holding a paintbrush with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth (obviously Sabrina), one in jeans and a t-shirt with a book (Bella), one with a stethoscope and holding sheet music (Edward), one with a Rorschach ink-blot test (Jasper), one in a pretty dress and high heels holding a sketchpad (me!), one with dumbbells (Emmett), one with a protractor and applying lipstick (Rosalie), and one in a helmet with thirty-four on his jersey holding a football (Rylan).

"Nah, I'll just frame the sketches I have and we can hang them up inside. Oh, but we can paint a sign for the outside of tree house." So we did, and we called it Funkee Town.

So by the evening that Saturday, Maisy's Funkee Town tree house was completed and even decorated. And all the men bowed down to Rosalie. It was pretty elaborate with several windows with curtains, a rope ladder that Rose secured so it was taut but later could be pulled up into the tree house to keep people out, and a couple bean bag chairs for furniture. Rosalie also set up a pulley system using a milk crate and some rope in case Maisy wanted to bring stuff up without having to carry them herself. For an extra special surprise, Rose put a slide in on one side so Maisy had the option of either coming back down on the ladder or sliding down. How cool is that? The guys did contribute by installing a swing from one of the branches of the tree.

"Man, I wouldn't mind living in Funkee Town. It's like the Taj Mahal of tree houses," Sabrina commented. It totally was.

All the hard work Rose and the guys put in was worth it when they saw Maisy's reaction. Her eyes bugged out and her mouth hung open but then formed a huge grin when realization sunk in. She turned to Rose. "That's _my _tree house?" Rose nodded, and Maisy squealed and clapped in delight. She then proceeded to give each and every one of us a hug. She's just so sweet.

"So since Edward was unable to execute his plans for the tree house, I have to declare Sabrina the winner of the out-Edwarding Edward competition," I said.

"Thanks, Alice, but I think I'll proclaim Rosalie the winner," Sabrina asserted. "After all, she has been pumping her breast milk, breast feeding Emma, and not only changing Emma's diapers but the guys' diapers as well," Sabrina laughed. The men just glared at her, which caused us to laugh even more. "What? She's a smurfing superwoman!"

"I win?" Rosalie asked us smiling. We all nodded in affirmation. "What do I win?"

"Nothing, Rose, just bragging rights," Sabrina informed her.

"Well, la-dee-freakin'-da. Why have the contest then?" She was perturbed by the whole concept of the competition.

Sabrina and Edward just looked at each other and shrugged. "Good point. Truce?" Edward asked.

"Truce," Sabrina agreed. "It's just as well. If we keep going like this Maisy will own the actual Taj Mahal by the time she's ten."

"True story," I concurred.

The next couple of weeks were dedicated to helping Sabrina and Rylan pack as well as spending as much time together as possible as a group. Rylan decided to keep his condo so he and Sabrina would have a place for themselves when they came back to visit, which better be often, I ordered. It was already paid for anyways.

I have to admit I'm not as sad as I was about Sabrina leaving us. Not that I didn't think she could do it alone because Sabrina is one tough cookie, but Rylan moving with her definitely makes me feel better, all of us really. And all I have to say is, _told you so, told you so_! I knew they would end up together in the end. For the love of all that is holy, never bet against me! _Seriously_!

So we moved Sabrina's stuff out of the studio apartment and back into the condo, including the poor piano that has been shuffled around. Sabrina was loath to move out of her studio. She really has made it her own, but of course the condo was much more spacious and comfortable for her and Rylan.

Sabrina was technically breaking her lease since she hadn't been there a year yet, but Wes didn't charge her. "I don't try to make money off of my friends, Sabrina," was what he said. That was very decent of him I thought. Wes promised to find a tenant that would appreciate her work and keep the mural up and not paint over it. Actually, he was thinking about moving into the apartment himself. He liked what she did to the place plus he was going to renovate the building anyway and wanted to make the top floor one huge living space, which sounded cool.

Wes was also helping me find some commercial space for a boutique I wanted to open. My vision was to carry apparel and accessories by eclectic, funky designers that are hard to find anywhere this side of the Atlantic, along with other trendy designers. Plus, I could design my own line of clothes and accessories and sell it exclusively at my own store. I know there's a niche for the ultra trendy in Seattle. There must be more like me right? I already had the décor planned out. Sabrina said I could display her artwork when I asked her. She even gave me permission to sell it if someone were so inclined. She's much too modest and doubted that it would sell, but she played along with me anyway. I'm so excited to be starting my own business! Sabrina and Bella even helped me come up with the business name: Pixie C's, a boutique. And I'd be featuring Art d'SIK. Perfect!

The night before Rylan and Sabrina were leaving we were all over at Emmett's house. It was easiest to congregate there because of Emma, who was currently asleep. We'd see them off the next day, but we wanted one last hurrah. Well, it's not like we were partying like crazy. Our last hurrah consisted of grilling burgers, Sabrina's favorite blue cheese burgers and drinking some Coronas. It's funny how we don't go to the bars or clubs much anymore, not that we did a ton before, but it seems we're content with a quiet evening in with just the friends. No loud music or excessive booze needed.

We just sat around talking. That's what we loved to do most. And boy can we talk. Rylan asked Edward if he knew what kind of medicine he was going to specialize in.

"I'm really not sure yet. I think I like the challenge and excitement of the ER though. Do you know what you want to do yet, Sabrina?"

She just smiled and shrugged. "Well, proctology is always a lucrative field since there are so many assholes in the world, but I'm leaning towards cardiology. Pediatric cardiology." I still laugh to this day when I think about her asshole comment. So true. So true.

Rylan wants to get into child advocacy. He joked that there's a lot of honor but not much money in that so thank goodness Sabrina would be making the real money to support his sorry ass. We had to laugh at the irony of that statement. And Nora thought Sabrina would be leaching from Rylan.

"Wow, we're such grownups now, you guys," Sabrina commented. "You know, people our age are usually out clubbing and here we are just chillin' with the fam." I smiled. I love that we refer to each other as family. I mean, most of us are by blood and marriage now, but Sabrina knows she's my sister, _our sister_. And Rylan, by default, is my brother now. "It's beautiful isn't it?" she mused. "I'm going to miss this…a lot." She was biting her lip as a tear fell. "Shit! Sorry, I'm trying not to get emotional." Rylan put his arm around Sabrina and pulled her to him.

"Crap!" I nearly shouted. "Now I'm tearing up. Stop it, Sabrina!" I was laughing at myself crying. I was wiping away my tears, and the next thing I knew, Sabrina was hugging me. Then Bella and Rosalie joined in. We were all crying silently.

"Don't forget about us, Sabrina," Rosalie sniffled.

"Never!" She meant it to come out louder but it was almost a whisper through her attempt to reign in her emotions. "You're my girls. We're the estrogen bound girls from Forks, remember?"

We all started to laugh at the memory of that emotional melt down ages ago before Rose's wedding. We pulled away from the hug only to discover that the guys had gone outside leaving us girls alone for a bit. They knew us too well.

"Rose, I demand pictures of Emma emailed to me weekly if not more frequently. Better yet, don't let her grow up until I get done with med school okay? I don't want to miss a thing."

We laughed again. "Sure thing, Sabrina," Rose answered.

"And, Alice, I'm coming back for the grand opening of Pixie C's. Count on it. And as soon as your wedding is done, you can plan mine. Go nuts!" I squealed and clapped my hands in delight the same way Maisy did. Did I learn that from her, or did she learn that from me?

Sabrina turned to Bella. "Bells, keep Edward in line for me?"

"Of course," Bella smiled. "And you stay out of trouble and take care of yourself. Visit us. A lot. And study hard. But remember to relax. And…"

"Geez, Bells, do I need to write all this down?" Sabrina joked.

The guys came back in when they heard us laughing.

"Is it safe?" Jasper asked cautiously.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it's safe. We were just giving Sabrina our best wishes and telling her how much we'll miss her."

"You know what I'll miss most, Sabrina? Your snaptitude," Emmett said.

"_Snaptitude_? Have you coined a new term again, Em?" Sabrina asked.

He smiled proudly. "Yes, it's your snappy attitude. Pretty good, eh?"

We all shook our heads at him except for Sabrina. She always had an appreciation for Emmett's brand of crazy. "That's pretty awesome, Em," she smiled at him.

"What no feisty comment, Snappy?" Sabrina had tears in her eyes again as she sauntered over to Emmett and gave him a big hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Big Daddy." That brought tears to my eyes again.

Emmett hugged her back. "Me too, Snappy. Me too," he whispered as he squeezed her tightly.

"You're an awesome dad, by the way. Emma is so blessed," Sabrina added before she pulled away from the embrace. Emmett merely nodded his appreciation for her kind words.

Sabrina looked to Jasper. Jasper looked slightly frightened, but smiled and hugged Sabrina anyway. "Who am I going to make fun of stupid people with now?" he asked.

"I'll email you my diatribes and you email me your sarcastic and elitist remarks, deal?" Sabrina bargained. "And maybe once a month we can call each other and watch a reality show together or Dr. Phil or something."

Jasper snorted. "He's such a tool."

"I know!" Sabrina agreed, and they both laughed.

Finally, it was Edward's turn. He and Sabrina looked at each other and he hugged her tightly. They've always had a special bond. Sabrina's always wanted a big brother and Edward really served that purpose for her. I think he really enjoyed being a big brother to her and Maisy. With our family it was always _the more the merrier_. Though I was friends with Sabrina first, she and Edward hit it off from the start. I was never jealous of their closeness. Most of the time it was Sabrina and me against Edward in verbal sparring matches anyways, but they always had this unspoken understanding of each other. Kind of like what Sabrina has with Bella. We were all destined to be friends.

Neither said a word to each other at first. They just stayed in the embrace for an immeasurable moment, probably communicating telepathically. Then Sabrina finally spoke as she pulled away from the hug.

"I'm so kicking your ass in med school, Cullen. Try to keep up, okay?"

"You wish, Kingston."

"It's okay, Edward. You know what they call the doctor who finishes at the bottom of his class?" Edward gave her a puzzled look and shrugged. "Doctor," she informed him. "So you'll be okay," she smirked and Edward rolled his eyes and gave her a playful shove.

"Hey, I've got something for you guys," Sabrina seemed to remember. She ran out to Rylan's car and came back in with a shopping bag. She handed each couple something small wrapped in colorful tissue but also gave Emmett and Rosalie the shopping bag, which had something big inside of it. "Okay open the small gift," she cued.

All you could hear was the sound of tissue paper rustling. We each unwrapped a shoe about the size of my fist. They were painted and bedazzled different colors. We looked at them curiously. Then Sabrina nodded for Emmett to take out the big gift.

We all smiled as he revealed the sculpture Sabrina made. It made sense now. She made a sculpture of an elephant supported by its belly on a stand. The legs were kicked out in different directions.

"So the elephant stays here with Big Em and Rose," Sabrina explained. "And each couple keeps an elephant shoe from me and Ry. When we get together, like tonight, we bring the shoes and the elephant will be complete with all four shoes on."

So each of the guys placed an elephant shoe on the sculpture, which Emmett then placed on the coffee table. We sat there silently a moment admiring it.

"That's smurfin' awesome, Snappy!" Emmett nodded in appreciation. The rest of us followed suit.

Rylan then lifted up his Corona bottle. "To friendship."

Edward raised his beer bottle. "To family."

Rose raised her water bottle. "To estrogen binds and vats of acid." We girls snickered.

Bella lifted her Coke can up. "To the Smurfs and Smurf pee!" More giggling.

Sabrina raised her Corona bottle. "To ugly sweaters and Chubby Bunny!"

Emmett lifted his beer bottle next. "To waffling and Caramel Delights!"

Jasper was next. "To the exotic Jasper Hale eating kale!"

Then finally I lifted up my glass of wine. "To Funkee Town Friends and elephant shoes!"

So we stared smiling at each other, reminiscing about the past year and looking forward to the different directions our futures would take us, but always knowing that we'd come back together again to complete the elephant.

**A/N Thanks again, and elephant shoe, guys!**


	38. sequel is up

New story from MadeleineJade,

Category:Twilight  
Title: Saving Me Sequel One Shots  
Genre: Romance/Humor  
Rating: Fiction Rated: M  
Summary: This will only make sense if you've read Saving Me. Takes place seven  
years later. New characters carry over. Cannon pairings all are married.  
Edward is Dr. Jamison's protege. What brings Sabrina and Rylan back to  
Seattle? AH. One shot. Possibly more?

URL/s/4615410/1/

****

So, this is a sequel one shot to Saving me is up. I posted it last night, but didn't think to send out an alert via Saving Me chapter alerts so I'm doing it now. Here's a small sample...

Discalimer: I do not own Stephenie Meyer's characters.

Saving Me—7 years later…EPoV

I heaved a big sigh as I approached Rylan and his mother in the hospital corridor near the ICU. Both were involved in the quiet conversation they were having. Neither looked any more relieved than when I saw them an hour earlier when Rylan arrived in Seattle on short notice and without Sabrina.


End file.
